Season X: Movin' On Out
by NMI123
Summary: After a fight with Carl, Laura and Steve are out on their own, but they know they need to go to someone for help. Will they be able to make it work living under another relative's roof? Or will things go sour just as quickly? (Episode 4)


**Author's Note: Thanks for reading and reviewing.**

 _What the hell just happened?_ Laura thought when she woke up Tuesday morning. Her eyes opened and landed on a dingy, stained ceiling. _How do you even stain a ceiling?_ She turned on her side to remove her sensitive eyes from the unappealing sight. Her gaze landed on Steve, still fast asleep. That made everything a little better. She moved closer to him and rested her head on his chest. She couldn't believe it had actually come to this. She was a little stubborn and a little hotheaded, so she had made a few empty threats about moving out, but they were all just bluffs. Steve had actually decided to do it, and he was the level-headed one. He was the push-over. Obviously, her father's comments were exactly the wrong thing from the worst possible person. Now, here they were, in the cheapest motel they could find, in a sketchy part of the city. She looked back at the ceiling. _Is that cum or blood? Which one is worse?_ She shivered and closed her eyes, burying her face in his chest. This whole thing had started because of their sex-life, but ironically, on their first night alone in the big, scary world, they hadn't even had sex.

 **Last night…**

Steve unlocked the door with the old-fashioned key. He took Laura into his arms, like he had for every new room they had stayed in, and carried her in. He moved to set her on the bed, but he hesitated. It didn't exactly look sanitary. There were multiple colored splotches that didn't appear to be part of the pattern of the bedspread. He looked around the room to see if there was anywhere else he could set her. The shag carpeting and chair missing an arm weren't much help. He cringed and looked at her face. She looked just as disturbed.

 **Bang!**

A loud noise erupted outside the door. Steve's eyes widened, and he tossed her on the bed. He ran to the door, pulled their suitcases inside, and slammed it. He locked it and deadbolted it. He moved to the window, checked the locks there, and closed the curtains. "I'm sure that was just a car backfiring," he said as calmly as he could, tugging at his collar.

She nodded sadly, trying to stay strong for him. Moving out had been _her_ idea. Getting a cheap motel had been _her_ idea. The whole thought process that said that all they really needed was each other, that she didn't care where they were, that she didn't need money, all of that had come from her. She couldn't go back on it now.

He could read her face like a book. He quickly gathered how miserable she was and that she was trying to hide it from him. He took a seat next to her on the bed. "We can go back if you want to," he whispered. "I know this place is horrible, Laura. You deserve so much better. I'm so sorry."

"No, no. It's not that bad, really," she lied, stroking his back. "I'm sure we'll get used to it, and we won't be here long anyway. You're going to find your dream job any day now," she smiled tensely.

"Laura, you're not safe here. This place is really scary. My pride isn't worth putting you in danger."

"We're not in danger, Steve. This isn't that bad. We didn't do anything to anyone. As long as we stay out of our new neighbors' way, I'm sure they'll stay out of ours." She wasn't sure, but it kind of made sense. She knew a lot of the violence in the area was gang related. They weren't planning to rub any gang members the wrong way any time soon, so how bad could it be?

"You think?" he asked, hoping he hadn't made as big a mistake as he thought he had.

She couldn't lie to him anymore. "I don't know, honestly. I think we're probably ok for the night, but do you think we could try to find a better motel in the morning?"

"Laura, we don't have any money. Neither of us have jobs."

"Well, school's out, so I can try picking up some shifts at Ferguson's over the summer, and you're getting offers all the time. One of them has to be good eventually. Plus, we have our combined savings and our wedding gifts. That's something."

"We can't blow through that money, Laura. We need to go home."

"We can't, Steve," she whined, blinking back tears. "We have to make the best of things here."

"We can go back. I'll apologize to your father. We'll go back to sleeping in separate rooms. We'll take a break from our lovemaking. It'll be fine."

"I don't want to do that, Steve!" she yelled. "I didn't like what he said either. God, how could he say that to you? Or to me? After everything he said at the wedding and the rehearsal and before? How could he suddenly stop supporting us?" She started to really cry. She pressed her face into her hands. Her shoulders shook as she wept. She tried to cover her mouth, but her sobs were too loud and too strong to be hidden.

Steve quickly wrapped his arms around her. He began to rock her back and forth. "Shhhh… Shhhh, Laura. It's ok. Shhhh…" He didn't know what else to say or to do. He had been just as hurt by what Carl had said, if not more. He didn't know how to cheer her up when he was just as upset. He tried to push away his own feelings so he could comfort her. He lay back on the bed and pulled her into his arms. He held her close as she cried herself to sleep. What a great husband he must have been if she was already crying herself to sleep for the second time in their marriage. He fell asleep kicking himself as he held her close.

 **Tuesday…**

 _This place somehow looks even worse in the daylight_ , Steve noticed as his eyes fluttered open. He was afraid to put on his glasses. He felt Laura in his arms and decided to slip them on just to look at her. She was still so beautiful. She was in an icky, disgusting motel room, but she looked like an angel. He couldn't believe how lucky he was. He had to fix this for her. She deserved better.

When she felt him stir, she opened her eyes again. She looked up at him, "Hi, Steve," she said, smiling softly against his chest.

"Good morning, my love," he cooed, looking at her adoringly.

She pushed herself up and kissed him. "So, what do you want to do today? Buy some drugs? Make some drugs? Sell some drugs?" she asked.

He looked at her seriously. "That's not funny, Laura."

"Steve, you have to have a sense of humor, or we're not going to survive this," she insisted.

"We're not going to do this anymore. We're going home today."

"We are _not_ ," she said firmly. "I don't want to see my father after what he said about us. Maybe never again. I'm not going home. You can go, if you want, but then I'll be here all alone."

"Laura, you're being stubborn. Leaving was a mistake. I made a huge mistake, and we're both suffering for it now. I don't want you to have to hurt anymore for my pride."

"What about my pride, Steve? I love you, and my father made it clear he doesn't support our relationship. I can't handle seeing him every day if he doesn't approve of our marriage. That won't be good for our relationship, and like you said yesterday, that's the most important thing in the world."

"Except for your happiness! You can't be happy here!"

"Yes, I can. Here, I have you. There, I'm alone. I can't be happy _there_."

"Laura, you cried yourself to sleep last night. That didn't have anything to do with where we are?"

"Of course, it did," she admitted. "This place is horrible, and I hate it, and I want to leave, but I don't want to go back there. If we can find another motel we can afford, we can stay there. If not, I'd rather be here than in his house. I'm not happy here, Steve, but I'm happier than I would be there," she explained.

"I want you to be happy," he whispered, his eyes growing wetter.

"I know you do, Honey. This isn't your fault. It's his fault. He said what he did. He made it impossible for us to be happy there. Not you. This wasn't you," she assured him, leaning up to kiss him again. When she pulled her lips away, she looked into his sad eyes. He needed some cheering up, and she had just the thing. "Hey, do you remember the last time you and I were in a crummy motel room together?"

"You mean when you broke the Isetta?"

"Yes," she giggled.

"Of course I remember that, Beautiful. That was the first time I shared a bed with you," he whispered, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Oh, not really. I didn't even let you under the covers."

"No," he acknowledged, "but it was still just you and me, all alone in the dark. We were both wearing tiny nighties."

She giggled at the thought of him in her old, frilly nightgown. "Mine was more of a jumper, but I get your point."

"Still, we were both barely dressed, only inches apart for the whole night. Don't you remember how we woke up the next morning?"

"I do," she purred. "We were spooning."

"That was the first time. Heck, that was the only time until our wedding night."

"And I just about killed you."

"Yeah, I just wish I had been awake for some of it. I woke up being attacked, and I didn't even get to enjoy the stolen snuggles."

"I'm just glad we had the covers between us. Otherwise, I may have felt your erection and murdered you right there," she joked.

He blushed. "I would have been mortified if you had felt that back then."

"You did have one that morning, though, didn't you?"

"I had several that night," he admitted bashfully.

"What were you thinking about? What naughty thought did you have that made God send that warning lightning strike?"

"I can't believe you remember that so well. I would have expected you to block it out," he smiled.

"You're avoiding the question," she insisted.

"You caught me," he admitted. "Nothing exciting, my pet. I just imagined climbing on top of you and kissing you. Maybe grinding against you a little. That's as far as I got before my shame made me push the thought away, no matter how… _titillating_ it was."

She pouted her lips at him, "Poor baby," she cooed. "What would you do differently now?" she asked, climbing on top of him. They were both still fully dressed from the night before.

He placed his hands on her hips and grabbed her tightly. "Well, I'd–"

"OH, FUUUUUUUCK!" A man's scream echoed through the walls. A bed was squeaking loudly and at a rapid pace. Laura and Steve both looked at the wall, their eyes wide. "Oh, yeah. Fuck me, you little whore!"

"Oh, my God," Steve cringed, disgusted.

Laura covered her mouth and suppressed a giggle.

"Fuck my big cock with that tight, little pussy, you dirty, little slut!" he screamed.

Steve lifted Laura off of him and sat up. "Someone oughta teach that guy a little respect," Steve said, standing. He started to walk toward the door.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"To ask that man to have a little shame."

"You can't just barge in on people, Steve."

"I was going to knock."

"In this neighborhood? I really don't want to become a widow at 21. Come back here," she ordered.

"But, Laura, that poor girl…"

"OH! OH! OH! I'M GONNA COME ON THAT BIG COCK, DADDY!" a woman screamed in response.

Laura giggled more openly now. "It sounds pretty consensual, Steve." Steve looked hesitantly at the wall.

"Tell me you're my dirty, little slut!"

"I'm your dirty, little slut! I'm your dirty, little whore!"

Steve looked back at Laura. He was embarrassed and disgusted, and he wanted to cover her innocent ears so she didn't have to hear any of this filth.

Laura shook her head at him and patted the bed. "Come here, Baby."

"Laura, I'm not really… in the mood anymore."

"Good," she said firmly, "neither am I. At least, I don't want to do it in a room with such thin walls." He nodded in agreement and sat down beside her. He watched her place her hand on his thigh. She rubbed it gently. "Steve, don't worry about what anyone else does in bed. I know you. I know what you're thinking. A part of you is wondering if that's what I want."

He shrugged.

"Steve, dirty talk can be… exciting, but I would never want you to do anything that would make you uncomfortable."

"Ohhhhhh, fuck me, Daddy! Fuck me like the whore that I am!" The woman's scream shot through the room.

"And this is probably too far for me, too," Laura cringed.

Steve relaxed a little. He was glad for tiny mercies like that. He thought he could convince himself to try talking dirty to Laura at some point, under the right circumstances, but he couldn't imagine calling her a "whore". Nothing was appealing about that to him. He didn't like to make it his business to police other people's bedrooms, but he couldn't imagine bringing that kind of degradation into his own marriage. He wanted to experiment with Laura, if that's what would keep her happy, but he had his limits. He was glad to know that she did, too.

"Look, my point is, don't worry about anybody else. Don't worry about what you hear other people do. Don't worry about what you see in movies, on TV, or online. Don't worry about what you read. Don't worry about what your friends say, or what my friends say, for that matter. If I want to do something in bed, I'll tell you. If I don't ask for something, I'm not missing it. Now, if you see something somewhere that you'd like to try, all you have to do is ask, but if you see something, and it freaks you out, don't automatically assume that I must not be satisfied because you don't want to do that. Does that make sense?"

He nodded, "Thank you, Laura. That helps."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "I loved trying new things with you yesterday," she whispered.

"I did, too. Thank you for that," he blushed.

"I'd love to do that with you again."

"I'd like that, too."

"Or just about anything else, Baby. Just ask, ok?"

He nodded.

"Oh, TAKE IT!" the man growled. "TAKE IT IN YOUR CUNT! TAKE IT, YOU LITTLE WHORE!"

Steve's eyes widened, "Oh, my God! I say that to you!"

Laura laughed hard, "Um… Not quite like that."

"Well, no, but–"

"Hey, if I didn't like it, I'd tell you, remember?" she whispered. She paused for a moment. "Just to be clear, I like it the way you say it. Not like that. Don't ever use the c-word with me, and I don't think I'd like being called a whore."

"I would never say either of those things, my love. I respect you far too much."

She smiled, "I know. I just wanted to clarify." She stood up, grabbing his hand and pulling him with her. "Now, let's get the hell outta here."

He followed her, "But where are we gonna go?" He grabbed their suitcases and glanced around the room to make sure they weren't forgetting anything. Luckily, they hadn't unpacked anything.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" A new woman's voice shook the walls from the next room. "Get off my husband, you skank!"

"Anywhere but here," Laura answered, opening the door and leading the way.

They got into Laura's car, parked right outside, and drove to the main office, not wanting to walk even that short distance. Steve looked back at her as he got out. He didn't really feel comfortable leaving her in the car while he paid. "Why don't you come in with me, Pet?"

"I'll be fine, Steve. I'll lock the doors."

"Laura, I would feel more comfortable if–"

"I don't want to leave our bags unattended, Steve. Just don't take too long, ok?"

"Ok," he agreed reluctantly. "I'll be right back." He stepped out of the car and watched to make sure she locked the doors. When they were locked, he saw her wave him off, so he turned and went into the office.

Steve approached the front desk and rang the bell. A moment later, a middle-aged woman came out from the back room.

"Hi, there, Sugar. How can I help you?" she asked.

"Hello," Steve said, trying to be chipper, though he continued to check over his shoulder, glancing out the window to make sure Laura was all right. "I'd like to check out, please?" he said, handing her his key and looking behind him again.

"Ok, would you like to pay by the hour or by the night?"

Steve's brow furrowed. "By the hour? Who pays by the hour?"

The woman raised a brow at him, surprised by his naïveté, but staring at Steve didn't make him suddenly understand. "Lots of people pay by the hour, Sweetie," she said finally. "Who were you here with?"

"Um… My wife," he said, pointing back to Laura.

The woman leaned around him to get a good look. She laughed loudly. It was really more of a cackle. "Ok, sure. Your wife. You're one of those weirdoes who pay for the marriage fantasy, huh?"

He looked back at her. Pay for? Fantasy? "It's no fantasy," he tried to explain. "She and I are newlyweds."

"And _this_ is where you spent your wedding night?"

"Oh, God, no! We spent our wedding night in a much nicer place than this," he snorted.

The woman glared at him. "I own this place."

"And it's lovely," Steve added quickly.

"Mhmm…" she nodded. "Look, I know we're not the nicest place in town, but we're affordable, and most men like you don't want to take women like her to the nicer places anyway."

"Men like me? Women like her? Do you think she's my… _mistress_?" he asked, deeply offended, but still trying to figure out what on Earth was going on.

She scoffed. "You wish she was your mistress."

"She's my wife," he said again.

"Boy, look in the mirror. Who do you think you're foolin' with that?"

"I'm not trying to fool anybody," he cried in exasperation. "She's my wife!" He waved his ring finger at her.

"That ain't proof," she said. "Look, Buddy, I'm not a cop. I have lots of funny lookin' men walking in here with gorgeous women at all hours of the night." She leaned over again to look at Laura, "Usually, they're not quite that pretty. Most of them have been around the block a few times in this area, but–"

"You're 'not a cop'? Do you… Do you think she's a… prostitute?" he asked in disbelief.

She stared him down.

"She's not a… How could you think… Why would you think…?" he stammered, but the fact was, he knew why someone would think that. This was a seedy motel. They checked in for only a night. More importantly, she was clearly way out of his league. This was just like what had happened on the plane. This wasn't because she looked like that kind of girl, but because he looked like that kind of guy. He sighed and took out his wallet. "I'll just pay for the night."

Laura waited nervously for a few minutes. She loved her city, but she was the daughter of a cop. She knew the types of places her father wouldn't let her near, and this was one of them. Still, she hated the idea of crawling back to him after what he had said. They could find a nicer place for exactly the same price. She was sure of it… or she tried to be. She gripped the steering wheel tensely.

 **.Tap.**

Laura nearly jumped out of her skin and turned toward the window.

"How much for the night?" an older, white man asked, wearing far too nice a suit to be in this area.

Laura concluded he must have been eluding a wife or a girlfriend, and she resented him for it. Then, she noticed his wedding ring and confirmed her suspicion. Still, she didn't want to tick anybody off when she was alone in this neighborhood. She cracked the window just enough to talk to him. "I think it's about 20 bucks a night," she answered, forcing a smile.

"Wow, that's quite a steal, Baby," he cooed, leaning up against her window.

Laura glared uncomfortably. Even with a car door between them, she didn't feel safe enough to tell him off for talking to her like that. She smiled again and nodded, "Mhmm…"

"What exactly does that get me? Is that just sex or do I get oral and anal, too, because I've always wanted to try anal with a black girl."

Laura's jaw dropped. _What? What did he just…? Huh?_ "Excuse me?!" she cried.

"Oh, what? You've never had a John make it about your race before? A chocolate, little beauty like you?"

Laura was speechless. "I've never had a John," she spat when she eventually found her voice.

"Oh, is this your first night, Sweetheart? I thought that loser you just dropped off was a client, too. Don't worry. I'll go easy on you. I'll even give you some pointers. Here's the first one, with a body like that, you could be charging twenty dollars an hour, not a night."

"I'm not a prostitute!" she yelled. "That 'loser' was my husband who will be back any second! I was talking about the price of this seedy motel, you freak! Get the hell away from me!" She slammed her fist down on the horn to hurry Steve along.

 **Honk! Honk!**

"Bitch," the man muttered as he walked away.

"Next time, don't wear your wedding ring to pick up hos!" she called after him. "And I'm worth at least ten times that an hour!" she added.

Steve came running out of the office. He hopped into the car as she unlocked the door. "What's wrong, Sweetheart? Did something happen?"

"A man just tried to pay me for sex, so… yeah! Something happened!" she sneered.

Steve's eyes narrowed. "What man? I'll kill him."

Laura shook her head, trying not to take her frustrations out on Steve. "No, let's just get outta here," she said, putting the car in reverse and backing out of their space.

They drove from seedy motel to seedy motel. Everything that was affordable was terrifying, and everything that looked decent was too expensive. Eventually, they stopped for lunch.

"I'm running out of ideas here, Sweetums. What are we gonna do?"

"I don't know," she shrugged as they ate. "Why don't we stay at one of the more expensive hotels for a while? It's not ideal, but if I start working again, and you look really hard, we probably won't have to dip too far into our savings."

"We need that money for a security deposit and first and last when we find a place," Steve argued. "We can't risk it." Steve took a big bite of his squid sandwich and thought. "Do you think Estelle and Fletcher would be willing to take us in for a few weeks?"

"I'm sure they would, Steve, but Grandma's only got a one-bedroom apartment. We'd be sleeping on the couch, and it's not like we could have a very active sex-life in my grandmother's living room. We'd be right back where we started."

"Well, not exactly," Steve said. "At least, she supports our relationship. Heck, she was on board before you were!" Laura giggled, and the sound of her laugh put Steve at ease. At least, he could still do that right.

"Sleepin' on a pullout, Steve? We might as well stay with Eddie," she joked. Then, her eyes widened. "We might as well stay with Eddie!" she repeated.

"Yeah, you just said that," Steve said, cocking his head at her.

"No, Steve, really. We should stay with Eddie. It would still be a couch in a tiny apartment, but he works night shifts. We'd have the place to ourselves at least three nights a week, depending on what hours he gets!" She smiled, "We could make that work for a while, couldn't we? It'll just be a couple of weeks, right?"

"Right," Steve agreed, determined to make her optimism a reality. He could find a dream job in two weeks. Why not? He always fell backwards into luck when he least expected it, and he certainly wasn't expecting it any time soon, which meant it was probably just around the corner. "Do you think Eddo would mind us crampin' his style?" Steve asked, afraid to jeopardize another important relationship in his life.

"The worst he can do is say no," Laura shrugged.

As soon as they finished their lunch, Laura and Steve drove over to Eddie's.

"OH, MAX!" Eddie called as she rode him to completion. As his member started to soften, he pushed her off of him and pulled off his condom. He kissed her hard and moaned into her mouth, "Mmmmmm…"

She placed her hands on his cheeks and held him tightly to her lips. "Mmmm…" she moaned back.

He pulled away and smiled at her. "Ok, that was the last time. I _really_ have to get some sleep before my shift tonight. A tired cop is not a good cop."

"A sexually frustrated cop is not a good cop either," she retorted. "That's what makes you guys jumpy. When cops turn down their girlfriends, people die," she joked. "My outstanding blowjob skills alone have probably saved hundreds of lives by now."

Eddie sat up, "'Girlfriends?'"

Max's eyes widened. "I didn't say, 'girlfriends,'" she mumbled.

"Did, too!" Eddie replied.

"Did not!"

"Did!"

"Didn't!"

"Did!"

"You're so childish," she complained, trying desperately to change the subject.

"Oh, _I'm_ childish? You're the one who won't even admit that you're in a relationship."

"We've only been seeing each other for a week, Eddie! That's not a relationship."

"It is the way we've been doing it," he said. "You practically never leave my apartment. You only leave for classes and job interviews. Then you come right back here. You've even spent the night when I'm not here during my shifts."

"Oh, that doesn't prove anything. That just proves I hate my parents. That's not news to anybody."

"Max…"

"Eddie, you're just trying to skip ahead because you're not over Greta. You're trying to start our relationship four years in, and that's not how it works. I said 'girlfriends', but it was a slip of the tongue."

"You are so damn stubborn," Eddie grumbled.

"So are you," she replied.

He sighed, "Look, I really gotta get some sleep. Can we talk about this later?"

"Fine by me," she snapped back, turning away from him.

Despite his rising annoyance, he wrapped his arms around her, spooning her closely. He felt her move back to get closer to him, too. He smiled against the back of her neck and kissed it gently. Just as he started to drift off, there was a knock at the door.

 **Knock. Knock. Knock.**

He sat up. "Who could that be?"

Max sat up too. "Did we order dinner, yet?"

"No," he replied. He moved to get out of bed, but she grabbed his shoulder.

"No, you need to sleep. I'll get rid of them."

"Thanks," he said, smiling at her softly. Whenever they talked about the possible future their fling seemed to have, she got cold and insensitive, but every other moment they spent together, she was so considerate. She was funny, sassy, smart. He had always liked Max, but he'd never seen her in this light before. He watched her get up and put on his Chicago PD sweatshirt. He stared at her long legs and her ass, barely covered by the oversized pullover. Had he known how good she looked naked, and in his clothes, he might have started looking for a new perspective a little sooner. Damn, she was fine.

Max walked out to the door and thankfully, looked through the peephole. _Shit_ , she thought. _That's just what I need today_. She ran back into the bedroom. "Put your damn clothes on," she ordered, tossing his pajamas at him.

"What?" he said, covering his face from the onslaught of clothes.

"It's Laura and Steve. Laura and Steve are outside of your door right now, so put your clothes on and find me a place to hide!"

"What are they doing here?" he asked, hopping out of bed and struggling to slip on his sweat pants.

"I don't know! What do you think? Should we just close the door, or should I hide in the closet?"

"I don't know!" he barked, trying and failing to pull his head through the sleeve of his tee-shirt. When he found his way out, he stopped in his tracks. "Maybe you shouldn't hide," he said.

"What?" she said, rolling her eyes. They had had this conversation nearly every day. Wasn't she clear enough?

"Let's just tell her. Maybe this is a sign."

"No," Max said. "If they showed up here unannounced, they probably already have a problem. Now's probably not the best time to piss her off."

"What makes you think it will piss her off?"

"I know her," Max said flatly.

"So do I!"

 **KNOCKKNOCKKNOCK.**

Their knocking got louder and more urgent, thinking he was asleep.

He stared at her, but she didn't give in. "Fine, just stay here. I'll send them away. We'll close the door." He walked out to his living room, shutting the door behind him. He walked to the front door and opened it. "What are you guys doin' here?" he asked, forgetting normal human greetings in the midst of his crankiness.

"Um. Hello, Eddie. How are you today? Oh, I'm just having a delightful day, Laura. Thank you for asking. How are you and your new husband doing? We're fabulous, Eddie. Thanks for asking," she said with fake cheer.

 _Yikes._ "Aw, Laura, I'm sorry. Y'all just woke me up. I have a night shift in a few hours." At least the last part was true.

Laura shook her head. "It's fine, Eddie. We're having a pretty crummy day. I'm cranky, too. Sorry."

"What's goin' on?"

"Can we come in?"

"Sure," he said, stepping aside.

Laura walked in first, and Eddie patted her on the back. Steve walked in next, and Eddie squeezed his shoulder. "Hey, Man, how ya doin'?"

"Not too good, Eddo," Steve answered honestly. Laura and Steve walked over to the couch and sat down.

Originally, Eddie had had no intention of letting them in, but they really seemed to need something. Plus, he didn't mind making Max sweat it out a bit.

"We need a favor," Laura said abruptly, forgetting the nuances of asking for help.

"Anything, Sis," Eddie smiled.

"You know I wouldn't come to you like this unless we were desperate, but we really are, Eddie. We slept in the scariest motel last night, and I don't feel comfortable going back there. We need to move in for a few weeks, just until Steve gets a decent job offer. They've been pouring in since he came back from Houston, so it shouldn't be too long. Plus, we can pay you some rent and for groceries and stuff. We don't have a lot, but it's something."

"I'm confused. Why aren't you staying at home anymore?"

Laura sighed, and Steve grabbed her hand. He said, "We had some problems with Carl, and he said some things… that he can't take back."

"I _see_. Look, guys, I'd love to help you, but c'mon. I'm not in a financial position to do it. Whatever you guys are fighting about, just go back, and deal with it."

"We can't, Eddie," Laura replied, "not yet, at least."

"What did he say that was so terrible?"

"It doesn't matter, Eddie," Laura tried, pushing him away.

"It matters to me. I'm not going to let you guys crash here over something stupid."

"Eddie–"

"He said our marriage wouldn't last. He said that she made a big mistake marrying me and that he wishes he had stopped it. He said that someday, she is going to realize she can't stand me," Steve answered, desperate to convince him to help them.

Eddie scoffed, "You misunderstood."

"It was crystal clear, Eddie," Laura insisted. "That's what he said."

Eddie stared at them, gauging their sincerity. "Wow," he said, eventually, "but he was so excited at the wedding. I thought he was really happy for you guys."

"So did I," Laura said softly, looking down at the floor.

Eddie looked at his sister compassionately. Since she had started dating Steve, it was clear there was a part of her that was embarrassed about it. She was never embarrassed with him around new people, but whenever she had to tell an old friend who had known her before, it was difficult for her to explain her complete change of heart. She put on a brave face for Steve, but Eddie could see past it. He couldn't imagine, however, how hard it must have been for her to watch her father's mind change so abruptly. He was determined to help her, both by letting them stay with him and by talking to his dad.

"Ok, Laura," Eddie said, "you guys can stay here for a while."

"Really?" Laura asked, looking up from her feet.

Eddie nodded.

"Oh, thank you, Eddie!" she yelled, leaping up to hug him. He hugged her back, reluctantly. She held him tightly and kissed his cheek. "You have no idea how much this means to us."

"All right. All right. Settle down. I said 'a while.'"

"But that will make all the difference, Eddie," she smiled softly, standing up straight again. She looked back at Steve and smiled. They were really going to be ok. She felt like bursting into tears of relief, but she kept it together… barely.

Steve stood, smiling back at her. He was embarrassed that they needed to go to Eddie for help like this. It was different with Carl and Harriette. They were Laura's parents, and they were practically his, too, but going to his best pal was uncomfortable. That was going to a peer for help. Sure, he was a little older, so it made sense that he was settled and employed before Steve was, but Steve was still ashamed. He hated the fact that he couldn't provide for his wife. He reminded himself over and over that he really could, but she didn't let him take job offers he didn't want. He also reminded himself that it wasn't just his responsibility. She was a strong, independent woman, and she didn't need to be provided for in the traditional sense. No matter how often he reminded himself of those things, he couldn't get rid of that little pinch in his gut. He had no idea how much stronger the pinch would get moving in with Eddie. If he had known, he might have rejected the idea. Nevertheless, Eddie was doing them a huge favor, and he was very much indebted to him. He stood and walked up to Eddie, who also stood. He politely outstretched his hand for a handshake, and Eddie ignored it, pulling him in for a hug. "Thank you, Eddo," he whispered.

"No problem, Man. Whatever you guys need," he said, patting Steve's back, making their hug far manlier.

The sight of them hugging warmed Laura's heart. Walking in here, a part of her had feared this conversation would be like facing her father again. Eddie, too, was protective and had a long history of annoyance with Steve. Seeing them hug, with that concern still rooted in her brain, made her melt.

Steve pulled away and tried to lighten the mood. "And don't you worry, Buddy," he said, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "If you and Greta ever need some alone time, just say the word, and Laura and I can make ourselves scarce," he winked.

"Ew! Steve," Laura groaned, "that's my brother."

"Oh, grow up, Laura," Steve teased with a smirk on his face.

Eddie suddenly realized he had to tell them about Greta, but he hadn't really told anybody, yet, except Max, whom he also realized he had to sneak out of his bedroom. "Oh, um… Listen, guys, about Greta… We broke up."

Laura and Steve stopped laughing and teasing and turned to Eddie seriously. "What did you do?" growled Laura.

"Became a police officer," Eddie spat back, surprised by his own sneer.

"What?" Laura asked.

"She didn't want to be with a cop, Laura."

"When did this happen?" Steve asked.

"At the wedding," Eddie replied.

"But you didn't say anything," Steve said quietly, hurt that Eddie wouldn't tell him first.

"I haven't really told anybody, yet, except Max because she saw me walk her out," Eddie explained. _And because I've been having lots and lots of sex with her every day since_ , he added in his head.

"I don't understand," Laura said. "You dumped her because she didn't want to be with a cop?"

"No, she dumped me because she didn't want to be with a cop," he grumbled, frustrated that she was making him state the obvious.

"Really?" Laura asked in shock, more to herself than anyone else. She had always expected Eddie to screw up that relationship and her friendship with Greta along with it. Now, she was starting to realize that she could still be friends with Greta if she wanted to, but she didn't really want to after how she had treated her brother. _God, why did he have to date my friend?_ She pushed the thought away and stood. She didn't want to give Eddie a hard time when he had just decided to do her such a huge favor. "I'm sorry, Eddie. That's horrible."

Eddie sighed, "I get it, honestly. I don't like it, but I get it. We grew up watching Mom go through it over and over. You know, he calls a few minutes too late, or she sees something really terrible is on his beat on the news, or she sees an officer was killed, but they don't give a name right away. I understand why Greta doesn't want to put herself through it."

"It still stinks, Eddie," she said.

"Yeah, it does," he answered. What he couldn't do is explain why he was starting to think it was for the best. He glanced back at his bedroom door. He had to get them out of here for ten minutes. "Hey, let's not do this right now, guys. I have a shift in a few hours, so I should try to get some more sleep. There's no food in the fridge, so you'll have to order something. I wouldn't mind if I woke up to Chinese takeout on the counter." Laura rolled her eyes. "Why don't you guys go get your stuff and park your car in one of the guest spots in the garage? You have to pay for overnight, so you'll have to stop at the office. See if they have some sort of long-term plan, I guess?" he suggested, getting up and moving toward the bedroom.

They nodded in agreement and headed for the door. Steve looked at Laura, "Oh, Sweetums, I can do all that. You just stay here and get comfortable.

Eddie's eyes widened. That could be a problem.

"No, Steve, I want to come with you. I want to be in the loop on this parking stuff. You're not making unilateral decisions anymore, remember?"

"Right," he nodded.

Eddie breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God his sister was so bossy.

"Thanks again, Eddie," Laura called as she and Steve stepped back out.

"No problem, Sis," he called back. When his apartment door closed completely, he ran into the bedroom and started to gather Max's things.

"What's going on?" she asked. "Are they gone?"

"Only for about five minutes. They're movin' in," he answered, tossing her clothes to her.

"WHAT? Eddie! Why?" she cried, pulling off his sweatshirt and slipping on her undies.

"I can explain later. Right now, unless you're suddenly ready to go public, you have to get dressed and get out of here."

"You haven't found my top. I need a top, Eddie," she grumbled.

"Here!" he said, throwing it to her.

She put it on and glared at him, now fully dressed. "What the hell were you thinking? Now, I won't be able to come over at all."

"Well, I can come see you," he answered.

"Not at my house. My parents would kill me."

"Well, then we can just go out for a while. They'll be gone soon, or can you not live without my skilled touch?" he joked, laughing.

"Please," she scoffed, "you will be kicking them out in two days to get me alone again."

He pulled her close and put his hands on her ass. "You know I will," he said, leaning down to kiss her. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, and he moaned. "Mmmm…" Maybe this was a mistake, but Laura and Steve really needed his help. He broke the kiss. "I'm sorry, Max. I had to, though. They needed me."

"I need you, too," she whispered.

"Then let's just tell them."

"No," she said firmly, heading to the door. "Call me," she yelled as she left, leaving poor Eddie alone with a raging erection and a very unlikely nap.

Laura and Steve stopped at the office and made arrangements for parking. It was more expensive than they had hoped, but it was cheaper than any motel. They went to the car for their suitcases. Steve unloaded them from the trunk and turned to Laura. "Ready?" he asked.

"Almost," she answered, pulling him in for a long, deep kiss.

The kiss made his knees weak. It was more passionate than usual. When she finally released his lips, he looked down at her in shock. "What was that for?" he asked in a whisper when he had finally found his voice again.

She placed her hands on his chest flirtatiously and began to play with his buttons. "That was a thank-you kiss," she explained.

"What did I do to deserve that? And will I get the same reaction if I do it again?" he smiled, wiggling his eyebrows.

She giggled. "I'm just grateful that you're willing to move in with Eddie for a while. I can feel the embarrassment just radiating off of you, and I'm so thankful you're putting your feelings aside for mine," she explained.

"If there were any other option, Laura…"

"Thank you for realizing that there's not," she said, kissing him softly again. "And please, don't be embarrassed, Steve. We just got married young. That's why we're having so much trouble. It's not you. You're going to be an incredible provider. I know that."

"I thought you hated that word, 'provider'."

"I do," she nodded, "but it's true, Steve. While I'm in law school, you'll be _providing_ for me, and I'm grateful to you for that, too."

"I'm just glad you're willing to let me," he smiled.

"You're welcome," she teased.

He leaned down and kissed her again. "Ready to head upstairs?" he asked.

"Yeah, just give me a second. There's a payphone over there, and I want to call my mom down here so we don't wake Eddie."

"Good thinking," he replied.

"I just hope she's the one who answers. Sometimes, they both come home for lunch," she said. He grabbed the bags and followed her to the payphone near the parking office.

When Max came out of the elevator into the parking garage, she immediately went back in, pressing herself to the wall. Laura and Steve were standing at a payphone right in front of her. What the hell was she supposed to do? There was no escape, and the other guy in the elevator was looking at her. He wanted to go to his floor. "Umm… I think I'll just ride one more time," she said as she watched the doors close.

"Hello?"

"Mom?" Laura said when Harriette answered the phone.

"Laura, Honey, is that you?"

"Mhmm…"

"Oh, thank God," she sighed in relief. "Where are you guys?"

"At Eddie's actually. We spent last night in a motel room, but it…" she paused. She didn't want her mother to know how sketchy it was. She didn't want her to get mad at Steve for letting Laura stay there all night, and Laura no longer felt qualified to predict her family's reactions to things. "Umm… It wouldn't have worked long-term. Eddie's gonna let us crash on his couch for a few weeks, until Steve finds a job and we find a place."

"That's good, _I guess_ ," Harriette answered. She really just wanted them to come home. She was glad they were safely with Eddie, but if they were going to mooch off of anybody, it should have been her parents.

"Mom, I know. I would rather take advantage of you guys than Eddie, but we don't really have a lot of choice in the matter at this point."

"You could come home," she argued.

"Not after what he said," Laura answered quickly.

"What did he say?"

"I don't want to get into it, Mom," she said, rushing to end the conversation. "We have to go."

"But, Laura…"

"Goodbye, Mom. We'll talk soon. I love you."

"I love you, too, Laura, and so does your–" Laura heard, just before she hung up the phone. She turned to face Steve, but someone behind him caught her eye. "Max?" she asked.

Max cringed, but put on a big smile before she turned around to Laura. "Laura?" Max asked, feigning surprise. "Hey, Girl, what're you doin' here?" she asked, walking over to them.

"Steve and I are staying with Eddie for a while," she replied uncomfortably. "This is his building."

"Staying with Eddie? Why?"

"Because my father's a jerk," Laura replied.

Max rolled her eyes. As someone who actually had a jerk for a father, she would have killed to have Carl Winslow. "What did he do that was so bad? Is this all over that stupid lingerie incident?"

"No, it got so much worse after that," she replied. "I don't really wanna get into it right now. I'll call you about it later, ok?"

"Ok," Max agreed. She turned to finally acknowledge Steve, who had wrapped a supportive arm around his wife. "Hey, Steve," she half smiled.

"Hey, Max," he beamed, proud to be acknowledged by her.

"Wait, you distracted me," Laura said. "What on Earth are you doin' here?"

Max had hoped she had led her away from that question. She decided to tell a half-truth. "I was at a guy's apartment," she said coyly.

Laura's eyes widened. "At 1 pm? You slept there didn't you?!"

Max smiled, "I did."

"What? Who is this guy? Why haven't I met him?"

 _You have._ "Um. He's just a guy. It's not really serious enough yet to introduce him to people. We've only been seeing each other for a week or so."

"And you're already spending the night with him?!" Steve interjected loudly and clearly judgmentally.

Laura glared at him. "Steve!" she scolded, elbowing him in the gut.

" _Oof_. Sorry," he groaned.

Laura rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Max. She said very quietly, with a look of concern on her face, "And you're already spending the night with him?"

"Hey! How come you get to ask?" Steve pointed at them, standing upright only to get elbowed again. "Ugh…"

"I've known him a lot longer," Max explained. "It's just only now become… romantic."

"How long have you known him? Do I know him?"

"That's none of your business, Laura," she smiled slyly. She tried to play it off like she was teasing her with juicy gossip, but really she was trying desperately to hide her secret. "Look, I gotta go. We'll talk later, ok?" she said, already backing away.

"But, Max…" Laura called after her.

"See you later," Max said, practically running to her car.

Laura watched her get in and throw it in reverse. Her tires squealed on the way out of the structure. "What the heck is up with her?" Laura asked, turning back to Steve.

"I was gonna ask you the same thing, but I decided I didn't want an elbow in my belly again."

Laura rolled her eyes and elbowed him again.

"I love you, too, Laura, and so does your father," Harriette said, interrupted part-way through by the dial tone. She placed the phone back hard in the cradle and stomped off to find Carl. She stumbled upon him in the driveway, flat on his back, giving his car an oil change. She walked up to his feet sticking out from under the car and kicked his shoe hard.

He tried to sit up in response, slamming his head into the bottom of the car. "OW!" He slid out from under it to try that again. Sitting up and leaning against the car, he looked up at her. "What?" he barked, annoyed by her methods of getting his attention.

"Our daughter just called."

"She did?" Carl asked, rubbing his throbbing head.

"Yes, she slept in a motel last night that was so crummy they had to leave it this morning."

"Good," Carl replied, "so she's coming home?"

"No," Harriette corrected, "she's moving in with our son. Somehow, Eddie has become the supportive parent in her life. _Eddie_!"

Carl scoffed. "He'll kick her out in a couple of days if she insists on bringing Steve with her."

" _Bringing_ Steve with her? They're married! What is goin' on with you? What did you say to them that made them leave?"

"I didn't say anything."

"You're lying to me. She's refusing to tell me. Well, until somebody tells me, you're sleepin' on the couch! I'm going back to work," Harriette barked, turning and storming away from him. She stopped and turned back to him. "And don't even think about askin' me for sex, Carl," she pointed at him, "because apparently, that's forbidden in this house!"

Laura and Steve returned to the apartment and unpacked what they could, as quietly as they could. Knowing Eddie had to work at six, they ordered their dinner a little early, so that it would be there when he woke up. He walked out of his bedroom at five, happy to find his Chinese waiting for him on the counter. "Thanks, guys!" he called into the other room.

"No problem, Eddie," Laura yelled back, sitting with Steve on the couch.

They got up and joined him. Eddie was out the door only a half-hour later, ready for a twelve hour shift. The newbies always got the worst schedules.

Laura and Steve finished up and cleaned up the kitchen. When Laura was sure everything was clean, she walked to Eddie's linen closet and took out the spare sheets he kept for the pullout. She walked over to the couch and turned to Steve. She handed him the sheets and smiled at him seductively, "Why don't you make the bed up, Baby? I'll be right back, ok?"

He smiled back at her, teasing her, "Laura, it's a little early to go to sleep, don't you think?"

"Oh, I guess it is," she pouted. "Well, we'll just have to think of something else to do for the next few hours," she winked. She walked back toward the bathroom, suitcase in hand.

Steve closed the curtains and double checked the locks. He put the deadbolt in place, just in case Eddie came back early. He made the bed and stripped down to his boxers. He got under the covers, and the weak mattress nearly collapsed, squeaking loudly. There was no chance they'd be able to do any covert operations on this couch. That was for sure.

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Laura slipped into a very sexy babydoll nightie. It was more revealing than the others she had already worn for Steve, and she was looking forward to seeing his reaction as he was beginning to grow more and more confident with her. It was completely see-though, made of bright-red lace. Her thong matched it and was completely visible. She was no longer wearing a bra. She fluffed her hair and put on lipstick that matched her lingerie. She slipped out of the bathroom and tiptoed to the living room. She smiled, excited that he hadn't heard her and was still facing the other way. She tiptoed closer to him, resting her hands on her womanly hips, moving toward his left side. She stopped, still a ways behind him, and purred, "Hey there, Sexy."

He jumped, surprised to hear her so close and swallowed hard. He turned his head back to her, and his jaw dropped. That was the naughtiest thing he'd ever seen her wear. "Whoa, Mama…" he whispered.

She softened her smile, smirking at him. He was falling right into her trap. "You like my nightie, Baby?"

He nodded vigorously, showing his tongue and panting.

"I'm glad," she cooed, moving closer to him. She moved slowly and assured that her hips swayed dramatically. She knelt on the edge of the bed, a little thrown off by its lack of support, and she crawled over to him. She posed in front of him, still on all fours, revealing her deep cleavage. "I want you to make love to me, Steve," she purred. "I want you to take me and show me what a good husband does for his wife."

Steve felt a primal urge awaken in him. He didn't feel nervous. He just felt horny. He wanted her more than anything. No, he needed her. He needed both her soul and her body. He growled softly under his breath. "Oh, yeah…"

She sat back on her calves, thrusting her chest out to him. "I need it, Baby. We've had such a _hard_ few days. I need you to show me how perfect we are together. Prove your love for me, Steve Urkel."

His eyes locked on her breasts. He could see straight through the red lace to her nipples. He could tell they were already hard. The logical part of him knew that some of this was for show. Sure, she wanted to make love, but this over-dramatic act was for him. He loved it, but he knew it wasn't all real. But her nipples were real… and they were hard. They were hard for him. That was real.

"Don't you want me, Steve? Don't you want to be inside me? Inside Laura… Lee… Urkel?" she asked, leaning closer and closer to his lips.

God, he didn't care if what she was saying was cheesy. He didn't care if it was cliché. He didn't care if it sounded like bad erotica. He did want her. He did want to be inside her. He did want to be inside Laura Lee Urkel, his beautiful wife. He couldn't stand it anymore. He placed his hands on her butt and pulled her into his lap.

She straddled him, squealing with delight as his tongue forced its way into her mouth. "Ehmmmm…" He shoved his tongue in and out of her as quickly as he could. She grinded into his lap.

He broke their kiss and moaned, "Oh, Baby… Oh, Baby, you want me, too, don't you?"

She bit her lip and nodded, losing a little control over the situation as the friction between them fogged her mind.

He smirked, "You're such a naughty girl, wearing that little nightie for me."

She nodded again, grinding harder. "Oooo…" she sighed.

"Uhhhhh, yeah… You only dress like this for me, right?"

"Of course," she breathed.

"I love you," he moaned.

"I love you, too."

He rolled over so that she was beneath him. He climbed between her legs and down her body. Soon, he arrived at his destination. He reached up her nightie and pulled off her panties. He immediately moved to kiss her womanhood. He ate her passionately as he moaned loudly. "Mmmmm…" He started by kissing her mound and her lips. Then he began to trail his strong tongue up and down her slit. He slipped his tongue inside and moved it in and out. He swallowed her sweet juices for as long as she could stand it. He blocked her out at first, trying to prolong her pleasure, but soon, her begging became too much for him.

"Please, Steve. Please, I need it. Please, suck on it. Please, Baby," she whimpered over and over.

He sat up, just to tease her. He hovered over her again, leaning close to her face. "What do you want, Laura?" he asked, looking deep into her eyes. "What do you want me to suck?"

She reached a hand up and stroked her fingers across his wet lips. "My clit, Steve. Suck on my clit. Please." He kissed her deeply, rubbing her essence all over her lips. He moved down between her legs and sucked hard on her clit. She humped his face aggressively, his teasing already bringing her near orgasm. The bed squeaked loudly as her hips thrust up to him again and again. She was so glad to be home alone with him. She moaned loudly, knowing no one related to her was anywhere nearby. She felt like they were back on their honeymoon again. "Yes, Steve. Don't stop. Don't stop. I love it. I love you. You make me feel so good… so good… so good," she whined.

He felt her thighs compress his head and her hand hold him down. He loved the way she reacted to his touch. He loved that it made her hold onto him tighter. He loved that it made her want to never let him go because that was how he felt about her all the time. The very thought of her moving an inch away from him was painful, and he loved making her feel that same dependence, even if he couldn't be sure she felt the same way after they were done. At least, when he was doing this, he knew they were on the same level.

"Oh, Baby! I'm gonna come for you. I'm gonna come all over your face," she whimpered.

"Mmmmmm…"

"Babyyyyyyyy…" she purred as her body convulsed uncontrollably and her juices oozed out her.

As she finished, he moved down to lap at her entrance. She tasted so good, so sweet, so tangy. Her juices were hot and sticky, and she made them just for him.

She continued to shake around him, her heart pounding in her ears. Her moans became inarticulate, "Ohnnnnnn…"

When he felt her legs release, he sat up and looked at her. He watched her chest rise and fall as she panted. He looked at her wet, shiny womanhood between her legs, which she had spread for him again. He looked up at her face and the soft smile on it. She was satisfied. He smiled cockily at her, "Oh, Sweetums, did you like that?" She nodded, still breathing heavily. He climbed on top of her again, slipping off his boxers. He allowed his member to rub against her entrance as he kissed her, stealing even more of her breath. "I love eating you like that, my sweet. You taste so good. You look so sexy. I love the way you moan when I do it." She stared at him, speechless as her head remained foggy.

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He started to grind his member against her wetness. "Mmmmm… I'm gonna make love to you, Beautiful."

She moaned softly, "Steve…"

"I may not be able to provide for you, but I'm still a man, Baby. I can still satisfy you this way, Pet," he growled into her ear. He moved to push himself inside her, but he felt a hand on his chest.

"Wait," she breathed.

He propped himself up on his elbows to look at her again. "What is it?"

She was still panting, but she forced herself to find some composure so she could talk to him about his disturbing comment. She pushed on him harder, insisting her get off of her. She sat up, clutched the covers over her chest, and turned to him. "What made you say that? Of course, you're still a man."

He blushed and looked away. "I don't know, Sweetums. I've just been feeling a little… emasculated."

"Oh, Honey, we talked about that. Please, don't feel that way."

"It's hard not to, my sweet. I just want to take care of you the way you deserve to be taken care of, and I can't yet. It makes me feel like I'm not even close to being worthy of you," he said softly.

"Oh, Steve…" she gasped sadly.

"But when I'm inside of you," he whispered, looking at his lap. "When I'm inside of you, and you're moaning and wiggling and calling my name, I feel like I could do anything. I feel like I'm strong and desirable and exactly what you need. I love that feeling, Laura."

"You _are_ exactly what I need," she whispered, tilting his chin back up to meet her gaze. "You are _all_ I need," she promised.

"I want to give you the world, Sweetheart."

"You will someday, Steve. This isn't what our life together is going to be like. This is only temporary."

"What if I can't give you what you think I can?" he asked, scared to hear the answer.

"Then we'll make do with what we have," she explained. "You're all I need," she repeated. "Last night was hard, Steve, but if I have to spend the rest of my life in a place like that to be with you, I will. I really hope I don't," she laughed, "but I will if I have to." He smiled softly. "You give me so much more than money, Steve. You make me feel _so_ loved. You love me unconditionally, and that is more than enough to keep me going."

He moved closer to her, "You make me feel that way, too, you know?"

She cocked her head at him, "Unconditionally loved?"

"Well, no, not quite unconditionally, but you're the only person in the world who makes me feel… _loved_."

She smiled at him, "You _are_ loved, Steve. You are _so_ loved." She let go of the sheet, and it fell to expose her breasts.

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He bit his lip as his eyes were drawn to them. They were still covered by her nightie, but it didn't really cover anything at all. He reached his hands up and began to massage them.

She moaned immediately, closing her eyes, "Mmm, Steve…"

He kissed her neck and sucked on it gently. He moved up to her ear and licked her ear canal. He heard her giggle. He whispered, "Lie down, Pet." He pulled back to give her room.

She lay back, resting her head on the pillows, and instinctively opened her legs for him. He climbed on top of her again, and she smiled up at him. "I love you, Steve Urkel," she whispered.

He reached for the straps on her nightie. He slid them off of her shoulders and tugged her nightie off of her breasts. He shoved the bottom of her nightie up over her butt. The fabric remained only on her flat stomach; everything else was exposed. "I love you, too, Laura Lee Urkel," he whispered back as his eyes devoured her body. Wasting no time, he leaned over her, the bed moaning as his weight shifted. He lined the head of his member up with her entrance and rubbed it around her wetness. "Ohhhh," he groaned.

She stared up at him with lust in her eyes. "Show me what a man you are, Baby," she whispered.

He growled as he forced his head in suddenly, "Urmmmmm…"

"OHHHH…" she yelled.

He pressed more of himself inside. Her slick walls hugged him tightly but didn't stop his entrance. He pulled out a little bit to thrust in again. "Unh."

"Oooo…" she whimpered.

The momentum of his thrust slid him in further. "Halfway there, my pet," he growled as he rested his head against hers. He noticed her eyes were tightly shut. "Uh-uh," he whispered, stroking her hair. "Look at me."

Laura's eyes fluttered open, and he rewarded her with more of his member. "Ooooo…" she whined again.

"Is it too much? Do I need to slow down?"

She shook her head.

He pressed the last bit of himself inside of her. He looked deeply into her eyes and grinned. "That's all of me, Pet. I'm all the way inside of you." He loved telling her that.

She took a long moment, breathing as deeply as she could, preparing for what would come next. She felt her walls stretched to their limits around him. She felt his member deeper in her womanhood than she once had imagined anything would ever go. Still, he felt good. She was excited, and the very thought of him thrusting in and out made her stomach hot. "You feel so good," she purred.

He kissed her deeply and started to move in and out of her, painfully slowly, just like he had the day before. He didn't need to rush. They had all night. "Mmmmmm…"

"Mmmmm…"

He pulled his lips away so he could watch her and hear her more clearly. He moved slowly, out to the tip, then all the way back in.

"You're so big," she whispered when his member forced its way back in again.

He smiled. He knew it was silly, and a part of him knew she only said it as much as she did because she could tell he loved to hear it, but he really did love to hear her compliment his size. He believed she meant it, but she only repeated it for him. He knew that, and he didn't care at all. He needed to hear it, especially after a day like today. "Say it again," he whispered.

"You're so big, Steve. Your…" she paused. She didn't know what to call it. "It's so big." She made a mental note to ask him what he usually called it, because none of the words she could think of sounded like something that would ever come out of his mouth.

"Oh, Lauraaaa…" he cooed, beginning to thrust harder in response to her praise. "Laura… Laura… Laura…" He still didn't move fast enough to make her breasts bounce, but his eyes shifted between her beautiful face and her amazing breasts again and again, waiting for them to jiggle for him the way he liked.

"Mmm… Faster, Steve," she suggested.

He grinned and happily obliged. "Laura. Laura. Laura. Laura."

"Yes, Steve! That's it!"

Her breasts were bouncing for him now. He thrust into her harder to make them jiggle more as he watched them intently. He loved knowing he was the only person who had ever seen them. They were for his eyes only. "LauraaaAaaaAaaaAaa…" he groaned as he pounded into her. His balls slapped against her, and the bed creaked and bent with their motion.

"Oh, Steeeeeeve…" she purred. "Oh, Steve, don't stop! Don't stop! Don't stop!"

"Mmmmm… Laura Laura Laura Laura Laura Laura…" He thrust into her faster.

"Harder, Steve! Harder!"

He looked up at her face. She looked so hot. She needed him to go harder. He studied her expression. Was she going to come for him? He wasn't sure, but he was certain to listen to her request. He hammered into her harder and even a little faster because he couldn't resist the urge. "LAURA LAURA LAURA LAURA… Yes! Yes! Yeah! LAURA LAURA LAURA! Mm."

"OH, SteeeEeeeEeeeEeeeve… Steve! Steve! Steve!"

He leaned down closer to her, so their eyes locked.

She knew what that meant. He was close. She wasn't ready for it to end. "Please, don't stop. Please, hold on! Don't come, yet. Please, Baby, don't stoooOoooOooop.."

He clenched his jaw tightly, trying and failing to delay the inevitable. "Oh, Laura Lee… I'm coming! I'm coming! I'm coming, Laura! I'M COMING!" he grunted as his manhood began to spasm inside of her. He leaned close as he continued to thrust as hard as he could. He looked deep in her eyes. "Take it, Laura. Take it. Laura. Laura. Laura. I'm coming, Laura."

"Yes, Steve. Oh, yes. Come for me. Ohhhhh… It feels so good. Come inside me…" she purred, accepting that he couldn't have held on any longer. It did feel good when he finished inside her, coating her sensitive walls with his warmth and his love.

"I love you, Laura. I love you. I love youuuu… I love you…. I love you, Lauraaaa… Oh, Lauraaaa…" he moaned, collapsing on top of her.

"Mmmmm, Steeeeve… I love you, toooooo…" she cooed, stroking his sweaty back.

He finally closed his eyes and buried his face in her neck. He panted heavily, still trying to talk to her, to compliment her. "God, you're so beautiful. You're the most beautiful woman in the world."

"Thank you, Steve," she whispered.

"Tell me I'm the only one who's ever _seen_ you. I need to hear it again."

"You mean seen me _naked_? Of course, you're the only one who's ever _seen_ me."

"And the only who ever will?"

"I'll do my best."

He pushed up and glared at her, "What?"

"Well, I just mean… What if somebody walks in on me in the shower again? There's not a lot I can do to prevent that."

"Lock the door," he cried.

Laura rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah, but I just mean… I can't control everything, Steve. I'm not the only person who's seen you naked, am I?'

"Well, no, but Myra spied on me."

"Exactly, and that was out of your control."

He nodded, "Ok, I get it, but try really hard, ok?"

"Ok," she giggled.

He moved lower again to kiss her. He slipped his tongue into her mouth. "Mmmm…" He lifted his head again. "I don't want to pull out," he whispered.

"You don't have to," she smiled. "Take your time."

He rested his head against hers again and just stared, taking in every detail of her beautiful face and the feel of her body against his.

 **POUND. POUND. POUND. POUND.**

"Yo, Winslow!" an angry male voice called through the door.

Steve pulled out of Laura immediately, having flashbacks to Carl walking in on them. He rolled off of her and stared at the door. "Who's that?" he asked, turning back to Laura.

"I don't know," she shrugged.

"He sounds mad… at Eddie." He stood and called, "Just a minute!"

 **POUNDPOUNDPOUNDPOUND.**

"Winslow, I wanna talk to you!"

Steve slipped on his pants and shirt, taking the time to button it completely and tuck it in properly. He went to find his belt.

"Steve!" Laura scolded. "You don't need to be completely dressed. You just need to be presentable. Go get the door!"

"What about you, Pet?"

Laura bit her lip. There wasn't really anything near her she could throw on. "Give me your shirt," she ordered.

"But, Laura…"

She held out her hand, and he unbuttoned and tossed it to her. He watched to make sure she was completely buttoned before he opened the door. "Howdy, neighbor!" Steve said cheerily. "What can I do ya for?"

"You're not Winslow," the overweight, middle-aged, white man glared.

"No, he's at work. I'm his brother-in-law." Steve paused and turned back to Laura, who was still under the covers. "That's the first time I've ever said that," he beamed.

She smiled back. _He's so cute._

"Well, are you two the ones who've been makin' all the noise this week?" the man demanded.

"What noise?" Steve asked turning back to him.

Laura's eyebrows shot up. She knew what noise he must have meant. Maybe they had been a little too enthused to be out of her parents' house. She stood and began to walk over to them, knowing that Steve wouldn't handle this conversation well once this angry gentleman made his point clear.

"You know, the _noise_. The bed squeakin', skin slappin', name callin' noise."

Steve gasped dramatically, clutching his heart. "I don't see how that's any of your business, Sir!" he barked, eventually.

"Well, you made it my business by bein' so damn loud."

Laura stepped up next to Steve. "Steve, Honey, relax," she said, placing a hand on his back. "I'm sorry about that, Sir. This is so embarrassing. This is our first night here, so we didn't realize how much our voices would carry. We'll be more considerate next time."

"Well, tell Winslow to be more considerate, too, because it's been every damn day for a week, and I know he works nightshifts, so he's gotta do that during the day, but I have kids. I have a teenage son who I caught with a glass up to the wall trying to hear better." The man snickered. "He actually thought Eddie had two girls in here today," he said, pointing to Steve. "I hate to go home and disappoint him."

Steve glared. He didn't appreciate the comment. Sure, his voice was high, but he thought the sounds of his lovemaking sounded very manly.

Laura ignored the barb at Steve for once because she was distracted by something else he had said. "'Every day for a week?' That's impossible. He just broke up with his girlfriend."

"Well, he's had someone over here."

Laura smirked at Steve, "Well, I guess he's already movin' on."

Steve smirked back, "Who do you think the girl is?"

"Look, I don't care who the girl is!" the man interrupted. "Just keep it down, and tell him to keep it down!" He threw his hands up as he began to march away.

Laura slowly shut the door. Steve turned back to her, more than a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry people could hear us, my sweet. You don't deserve to be objectified like that." He reached out and gently stroked her cheek.

"It's not your fault, Steve," she smiled, moving closer. "I was pretty loud, too." She leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and began to imitate herself dramatically. "'Oh, Steeeeeve! Steve! It's so _biiiiiig_ … You're so big! I looooove you…'"

Steve swallowed hard. "I know you're teasing me, but that is so _sexy_ ," he whispered.

She grinned and pecked him on the lips. She pulled away and grabbed his hand. She led him over to the bed and sat down, patting the spot next to her. She watched as he dropped his pants before climbing back under the covers.

He got closer, almost ready to unbutton his dress shirt and expose her to him again, but then he paused. "You can do that on command?"

"Do what?" she asked, furrowing her brow.

"Moan like that."

"Oh," she shrugged, a little embarrassed as she realized where this conversation was headed. "Um… Yeah, I guess."

"Laura, you haven't been… faking, have you?" he asked, his eyes filling with hurt.

"NO!" she said moving closer. "No, absolutely not!"

He relaxed a little. "So, those orgasms…"

"Completely real."

"And all those moans?"

"Yeah, I mean, there were a couple of times when I threw in a few extra because I wanted to encourage you, and I wanted to sound sexy for you, but yeah, they were real. I mean them."

He looked a little uncomfortable.

"It's just like when you asked me to tell you how big you are. It was absolutely true. I meant every word, but I probably wouldn't have bothered to say it again if I weren't trying to please you. Does that make sense?"

"I guess."

"Baby, you make me feel so good. You know that. I know you can tell," she purred, moving closer to him. "I'm not that good of an actress, I promise."

"You made a pretty darn good Juliet," he recalled.

She smiled at the memory. "Only because I had such a handsome Romeo."

"You are such a fibber," he teased.

"No, I'm just a bit of a flirt," she countered.

"You don't need to throw anything extra in for me, my love. Your real moans are way sexier."

"Duly noted," she purred. "And I have plenty."

"Good," he breathed, relaxing a little. "I still like it when you tell me how… big I am."

"I know you do," she cooed, starting to unbutton Steve's dress shirt, revealing her breasts, and eventually, her womanhood, as she slipped it from her shoulders. She got under the covers with him. "You are _so_ big, Steve. Your _cock_ is so big," she whispered, testing the waters.

"Laura!" he scolded. "Don't call it that!"

"Why not?" she pouted.

"Well, I-I… I don't like dirty talk, remember?"

"Oh, that wasn't that dirty."

" _That_ word is very dirty!"

She rolled her eyes, "What do you want me to call it?"

"Don't call it anything," he suggested.

"Oh, no, but I love it, Steve. I have to be able to tell you how much I love it," she teased, wrapping her hand around him.

"Oh, GOD…" he groaned.

"What do you call it, Honey?"

"Mmmm…" he moaned as she stroked him slowly. "I call it my… manhood, or my… penis."

"Would it make you feel better if I used the proper terminology?" she purred. "Do you want me to tell you that I love your big, hard… penis? Because I do, Baby."

"I pr-pr-prefer 'm-manhood'," he stuttered as she began to stroke faster.

"Ok, Steve. I love your big, hard manhood. It feels so good inside my tight… wet… womanhood," she whispered.

"Ohhhh, yeah…" he cooed.

She felt silly using his outdated slang, but if it made him feel more comfortable, it was worth it to her. Besides, she couldn't really imagine Steve feeling comfortable with words like "cock" and "dick", so she couldn't say she was too surprised. She leaned forward and kissed him gently, but he took her head in his hands and kissed her more forcefully. "Mmmm…" she purred as his tongue stroked the inside of her mouth.

He pulled away and pushed her down on the bed, getting ready to take her again now that she had gotten him so hard. "Can we make love again, my sweet?"

"Yes," she purred, "but we have to be _very_ quiet."

He bit his lip and grinned down at her. "No promises."

Eddie got to the precinct just a little bit early and decided to take a shot in the dark. He walked to his father's office, not expecting him to actually be there, but there he was. "Dad? I didn't think you'd really still be here," Eddie said as he walked in.

"Hey, Son." Carl looked up. He half smiled. "Your mother and I aren't in the best place today. Didn't see the point in rushing home."

Eddie nodded, taking a seat in front of his desk. "What's goin' on with Mom?"

Carl cleared his throat, " _Ahem_. You oughta know. He's your problem now."

Eddie furrowed his brow. He did know, but he had imagined his father would try to hide it or justify it first. Instead, he seemed to be laying the Steve-issue right on the table. No shame at all. "Dad, don't you think–"

"Uh-uh, Edward. I'm gettin' enough of this at home. I don't need a lecture from you, too."

"Laura's really mad at you, Dad."

"She'll come around," he said flatly.

"Mmhmm… Because Laura has always been humble and forgiving," he said sarcastically.

"Well, she came around to Steve after years of despising him. Apparently, that girl is now perfectly capable of changing her tune on a whim."

Eddie could already see this conversation wasn't going to be very productive, so he decided to lay it all out there. "Look, Dad. I don't know why you've suddenly changed your mind about Steve, none of us do, but you've gotta accept what's at stake here."

Carl looked down at the work in front of him, trying to appear as if he were unconcerned.

"If you don't fix this with her soon, you're not going to be there when she moves into her first apartment. You won't be the person she calls when her landlord won't fix something for her. You won't be the person she stays with when she and Steve have their first big fight. You won't get to see her graduate. You won't get to see her graduate from law school. She won't call you when she passes the Bar. Heck, you might not even get to meet your grandchildren at the rate you're going. Do you really wanna give all that up because you're mad she married a geeky guy who eats weird food and has an obnoxious voice?"

Carl shook his head. "She'll come around," he repeated.

Eddie stood, no longer willing to talk to a brick wall. "Fine. It's your life," he said, "but I'm sending you a bill when I need to buy a new couch after I burn the one their sleepin' together on." With that quip, he ducked out of the office before Carl's look could kill him.

Later that night, Laura and Steve had finally exhausted themselves enjoying their alone time. Steve rolled off of her, and she snuggled into his chest. He held one of her hands while his other arm wrapped around her allowing him to stroke her hair. They lay in silence for several minutes, listening to each other's breath and heartbeats. It had been a long and embarrassing day for Steve Urkel, but this moment made it all worth it. Well, the last several hours had made it all worth it, but this moment was important, too. Eventually, he recited softly, "O blessèd, blessèd night! I am afeard, being in night, all this is but a dream, too flattering sweet to be substantial."

She lifted her head to look him in the eyes. "How do you still remember your lines?"

"I don't remember all of them. Just the scenes I shared with you," he smiled sweetly.

She turned to lie on his chest, so she could rest her head but continue to look at him. "That's from the balcony scene, isn't it? We didn't finish that scene."

He chuckled, "No, we didn't, but we got to that part. We just did the abridged version, so I never got to say that."

"Then why do you know it?"

"I memorized the full-version of the play, just in case it came up," he shrugged.

She laughed. "Well, then tell me more. I never fully appreciated you as my Romeo then. Most teenagers don't get to share the stage with someone who means every word."

She cuddled closer to him, and he began to recite more of the play. "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and _Laura_ is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief that thou, her maid, art far more fair than she… Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, having some business, do entreat her eyes to twinkle in their spheres till they return. What if her eyes were there, they in her head? The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars as daylight doth a lamp. Her eye in heaven would through the airy region stream so bright that birds would sing and think it were not night. See how she leans her cheek upon her hand. Oh, that I were a glove upon that hand. That I might touch that cheek!"

She loved listening to his serenade, but she wanted to do more than listen for him. "Yeah, I really don't remember any of that."

He laughed. _Snort_. "Well, I didn't say most of that."

"You know what I remember?"

"What?"

"That after the play, you told me I was the best Juliet there ever was. You said that you had dreamed all your life of being kissed by me, but you blew it."

He sighed, "I did blow it."

She shook her head. "You didn't, Baby. I love that that's our first kiss story."

"But it was so terrible," he argued.

"No, Steve, it was just _us_. I wouldn't change it for the world."

"Really?"

"Really. Someday, our kids are going to ask about our first kiss, and I can't wait to tell them that story," she giggled.

"I wish I had really been _your_ first kiss," he said softly.

She sighed, "Well, you were if you count on the cheek. Plus, you were my best kiss. That's something, right?"

"That's wonderful, my love."

She moved up and leaned over him. "Do you want a redo?" she asked hovering over his face.

"A what?"

She smiled at him. Though she was a little overdramatic, she tried to repeat the moment to the best of her ability. "Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say good night 'til it be morrow." She paused and smirked at him, "Oh, God, I wish it were morrow."

He laughed hard when he heard her adlib again. _Snort. Snort. Snort_.

She giggled with him, and when their laughter died down, she leaned closer to his lips. She moved slowly, making sure the moment lasted long enough for him to enjoy it. Her lips pressed gently against his. She kept her mouth closed and her tongue to herself, hoping to mimic her shy, embarrassed, high school kiss. This time, however, even an innocent kiss with Steve lit a fire within her. She could tell her passion, as restrained as it was, poured into the kiss. What was just a momentary peck so many years ago became a lengthy shared breath-holding contest. Their soft lips melted together. She couldn't bear the thought of pulling away. Eventually, his hand landed on her cheek and pushed her up.

"Yowee," he smiled.

She giggled and leaned her forehead against his.

"Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast. Would I were sleep and peace, so sweet to rest."

"Was that your next line?" she asked.

He nodded.

"So how does it feel to finally get to say it?"

"Amazing," he grinned, "but not as amazing as the past year has been with you, my sweet. I don't need to rewrite our past. I like it the way it is."

"So do I," she smiled. She kissed him again, no longer holding back her needy tongue. When she eventually pulled away, she lay down again. "Ok, that's enough. We have got to get some sleep, Steve."

"We do," he agreed. "I love you, Juliet," he whispered.

She turned away from him and waited for him to spoon her. When she felt his arms wrap tightly around her, she whispered back, "I love you, too, Romeo."

The next morning, at about 6:30 a.m., Eddie walked in. He had planned to head right to his room, but he paused when he saw clothes spread all over the floor. He moved closer to the pullout couch, walking to the other side to see Laura and Steve. He cringed when he noticed they were naked. He kicked the bed to wake them up.

Steve shot up, knocking Laura off of his chest. "Wah!"

Laura rolled, disoriented, away from him. She kept the sheet clutched firmly to her chest and rubbed her eyes to figure out what was going on so early in the morning.

"I'm glad you two are feeling comfortable," Eddie glowered, "but I would appreciate a little more consideration."

"What's wrong, Eddo?" Steve asked, reaching for his glasses so he could see more clearly.

"Well, for one," he began, walking back to a specific piece of clothing on the floor. He picked up Laura's nightie, not even willing to touch the red thong he could also see from the corner of his eye. "I don't particularly enjoy seeing my baby sister's lingerie after a long shift," he said, holding up the see-through nightie and tossing it to her.

Laura cringed. "Sorry, Eddie. I guess we could have cleaned up a bit after we…"

"Mhmm… And that's another thing. I'm not Dad. I don't mind that you two are doing… what you're doing, and I can deal with it happening in my living room, as long as I don't hear it or see it, but after, could y'all put some clothes on? Damn."

"That seems reasonable, Eddo. Sorry," Steve apologized.

Laura looked up at her big brother sympathetically. She tried to imagine walking into her own living room and finding his underpants across the room and him and his girlfriend buck naked on her couch. She didn't appreciate the thought, but it did remind her of something. "Really, Eddie, we're so sorry. We should have thought this through a little more. It won't happen again."

"Thank you," he breathed. Still grumpy and tired from a long shift, he moved to head to his bedroom.

"Wait, before you go…" Laura called.

Eddie paused and turned back to her. "Laura, if you're going to talk to me about something, you've gotta put something on."

She nodded. "Ok, um… yeah…" She reached down and grabbed Steve's shirt from the floor. She turned away from Eddie, meaning toward Steve, to slip it on and button it.

Eddie averted his eyes, not at all in the mood for his naked sister, especially when that meant that Steve Urkel was gettin' some in his apartment while he couldn't.

Steve's eyes widened and devoured Laura's big, perky breasts. He couldn't avert his gaze. He was thrilled by how casually she revealed herself to him as she dressed. He was proud that she felt so comfortable with him. When Laura was covered, she turned back to Eddie, leaning over the back of the couch. Steve took the opportunity to check out her backside, which wasn't quite as well covered.

"One of your neighbors, heavy, White guy, about Dad's age, kids?" Laura began.

"Oh, Jerry? Yeah, Jerry's cool."

"He stopped by and complained about… the noise…" She felt embarrassed and hoped Eddie would catch on quickly.

"What noise?"

But he didn't catch on to anything quickly. "I believe he called it the 'bed squeakin', skin slappin', name callin' noise'," she said hastily.

"Oh, gross! Laura!" he cringed. "I don't need to know that you and Steve are so loud you're tickin' off the neighbors. Just stop bein' so loud!"

"Well, you see that's the thing…" she began with a mischievous grin. This was going to be the fun part. "Problems with volume control must run in the family," she teased, "because he said he's been hearin' too much noise every day for a week."

Eddie blushed, and his eyes began to wander the room, searching for an escape.

Laura smirked when she saw he was flustered. "C'mon, Eddie! You tell us that Greta dumped you, but fail to mention you've already moved on? Please, tell me it's at least all the same girl."

"Laura…" Eddie whined.

She stared him down, demanding answers. She and her brother didn't often talk about the specifics of their love lives, but they did usually keep each other up to date on major changes. She was still mad that he hadn't told her about Greta immediately, even if it was for the noble cause of not ruining her wedding. She certainly wasn't going to be kept in the dark this time around.

"Look, I have to catch some sleep. We can talk about this later," he tried, moving further back.

"No way!" she said, leaping out of bed. "Who is it, Eddie? You have to at least give me a name!"

"Nope!" he said.

Steve laughed and snorted, making them turn to him. "Maybe it's Max!" he joked. "We caught her sneakin' out of the building yesterday, and she was acting just as cagey as you're being now!" He laughed again. _Snort. Snort. Snort._

Laura's eyes widened. "Not funny, Steve!"

Eddie heard warning bells in his head and acted quickly. "It was Greta, ok?"

Laura turned back to him. "What? I thought you broke up?"

"We did," he confirmed. "It was just break-up sex. She couldn't get enough of the E-Man," he grinned, feigning confidence. He noticed Laura glaring, and he realized he had taken the fake swagger too far. He was edging out of innocent victim territory, meaning she was getting angry.

"What the heck, Eddie?" she barked. "You can't just have casual sex with my friends."

"Friend," he emphasized, lying through his teeth. " _One_. And _she_ dumped _me_ , I'll remind you."

"Still, I–"

"Laura," he interrupted. "I just worked a twelve-hour shift. It's really over between us now. Can we just drop it?"

She sighed, shaking her head. "Fine. Whatever. Just… Go to bed."

"Thank you, Sis," he said, kissing her on the head before he ducked out of the room.

She stared after him. Since when did he kiss her like that? After a long, contemplative moment, Laura pushed the thought out of her head. She turned back to Steve and climbed back under the covers.

He smiled at her and lay back, opening his arms for her. He stroked her hair when her head landed on his chest again. "Good morning, Sweetheart," he cooed.

"No," she whined. "It's not morning. Morning starts at 8 am."

He snickered, "Oh, I'm glad you told me. I thought I was supposed to go start breakfast."

"No, you have to stay here and hold me for a while."

"Mmmm… I think I can do that," he grinned, glancing down at her to marvel again at how lucky he was.

After another hour or so of snuggling, still well before 8 am, Steve insisted on getting out of bed, against Laura's requests. He headed back to the kitchen, grateful to find a few eggs, some bread, and some butter in the fridge. He had to go shopping. Wait, no. He had to get a job so he could _afford_ to go shopping. He started breakfast and heard Laura start the shower.

When she was done getting ready, she stepped into the kitchen in a tight, black skirt, purple tank top, and gray cardigan. She had slipped on a pair of killer heels, too. What surprised Steve was how modest the skirt was. It was much longer than the ones she'd worn on their honeymoon. "Good morning, Sunshine," he beamed at her, dumping the eggs on their plates. "You look spiffy today. Love the skirt." He tried to be subtle about it, but he preferred she dress conservatively. She was his wife now, and he wanted her to look the part. He knew she grabbed attention everywhere she went, but he also knew that some of her clothes brought more suitors than others.

She smiled back at him, seeing right through his hint. She wasn't one to be told what to do or how to dress. She had gotten enough of that from her father growing up, and she was completely unwilling to deal with that from her husband. That being said, Steve always tried to bite his tongue on the subject, so she didn't see much reason to start a fight about it… yet. She chose to ignore it for the moment and explain her outfit choice. "Thank you, Steve. I'm headed down to Ferguson's to see if I can get back on the schedule for the summer."

"Oh, Laura," he said, bringing their plates to the table. "You don't have to do that. I'm going to make some calls today, check back with some of those jobs I turned down. I'm hopin' they're so hurtin' for this ol' noggin that I can negotiate a better deal somewhere."

"That's great, Steve," she said, taking a seat next to him, "but I'm off for the summer anyway. I usually try to find something to do until school starts again so I don't go stir-crazy, but this fall is the beginning of my last year, so I don't have any more Spring or Summer classes to take. I was gonna get an internship, but–"

"Yes, do that, Pet. That sounds great. Don't worry about any of this stuff. I'll figure it out."

"That's not how this works, Steve," she reminded him. "We're in this together. Minimum wage isn't much, but it'll help. When you find a job, I can pull back a little, and then my wages can just go into our savings account. You can do the whole providing thing you're so dead set on, and I can just help us save. I'll quit before school starts again, ok? Then next summer, I can waste my time doing unpaid, underappreciated, tedious work in a smelly, tiny law office."

Steve didn't laugh. "You shouldn't have to put that off, my love."

"It's fine, Honey. Really. It won't make a difference in the long-run."

Steve pouted, but he had run out of things to say. She had made up her mind. She was going to work for the summer. That was something to put on her résumé, at least, even if it wasn't the most impressive thing.

Just after breakfast, Laura headed out to Ferguson's, and Steve sat down at Eddie's phone with a long list of numbers. He hoped that if he found a job today, Laura would still have time to find a summer internship.

When Laura got to Ferguson's, she headed straight for the big man. Well, the big man in the women's fashion department. She wandered through the department a bit, looking at beautiful clothes she knew she and Steve shouldn't be investing in at the moment. Then she found him. She walked up to him as confidently as she could and tapped his shoulder. "Mr. Waxman?"

He turned around, "Laura Winslow!" He smiled brightly. "What are you doing here?"

"I have a little favor to ask of you."

"Oh, you do, do you?"

"Yes, do you have a minute?"

"For you? Of course, I do. Follow me!" he suggested, leading her back to the employee break room. He took a seat at a small table and gestured for her to sit across from him. "What can I do for you today, my dear?"

Laura smiled sweetly, having rehearsed the words over and over in the car. "Well, I don't know if you've heard, but I recently got married."

"So young?"

She shrugged, "We've known each other since kindergarten, and… I made him wait long enough."

"Well, I guess my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail."

Laura blushed, "Oh, Mr. Waxman, I'm sorry, we–"

"Don't worry, Laura. I'm teasing. I know how it is. I watched my daughters plan a couple of weddings… each! If you invited one person from Ferguson's, your mother would have to invite them all."

Laura nodded.

"So what do you need, Laura?"

"Well, um… We just got married, and we're still trying to get up on our feet. I was wondering if I might be able to pick up a part-time sales associate gig for the summer, just until I go back to school?"

He frowned, "Oh, Laura, I'm sorry. We just filled our last part-time opening."

"Oh," Laura's face fell. She had actually expected something to go her way this time. That seemed to be a bad assumption. "Oh, well, you know, that's ok," she said, forcing a smile. "I'm sure we'll work something out." She stood, hoping to get out of there before she began to cry. It wasn't like her measly income would have made a difference for them, anyway, but it would have been something. It would have been a little evidence that she and Steve were ready to be adults and out on their own. It would have been more symbolic than anything, but after the past few days she'd had, she had really wanted that symbol.

"Wait," Mr. Waxman interrupted.

Laura paused her escape and looked back at him.

"We do have a full-time position open. Do you think you could make that work? The pay's a little better. You'd get more hours, obviously, too."

Laura's jaw dropped. Full-time? "And you'd be comfortable with me leaving in the fall?"

"For your education? Of course. Now, if you were just going to leave us to work at Macy's, I may put up a fight, but for school? You're a member of the family, Laura."

She sat down across from him again. "Mr. Waxman, if this is a favor for my mother–"

"Oh, no. I remember. You were very clear last time, Laura. You don't want anything handed to you because of your connections. Well, this isn't for your mother. She's actually used up a favor with me recently. This is a favor for you. You're a member of the Ferguson's family," he repeated.

Laura felt tears of relief escape her eyes. She rushed to wipe them. "Oh, well, that's different," she laughed. "Mr. Waxman, that would be so amazing."

He grinned at her and reached for her hand. He squeezed it. "So you accept the offer?"

"Yes, thank you so much!" she beamed, standing to shake his hand.

He shook hers enthusiastically. "On one condition," he said.

"What's that?" she asked, concerned she may lose a desperately needed opportunity.

"You bring this boy in to meet me."

Laura laughed, "Ok, sure. Thank you so much. I really need this." She impulsively jumped forward, hugging him tightly.

"You're welcome, Laura," he chuckled, hugging her back.

Laura pulled away, embarrassed she had gotten so personal with the man who was once again her boss. "When do you want me to start?"

"Well, we need you to fill out some paperwork again. You can get all that set-up in the administrative office today. I'll walk you down there. Then you can start Monday at eight."

"Ok, great," she agreed.

"C'mon, right this way," he smiled, holding the door for her.

Steve's search wasn't going quite as well. Everyone he had called had either filled the position or had no more to offer to sweeten the deal. He struck out four times before noon, spending most of that time fighting with secretaries and pacing while he waited for calls to be returned.

His phone rang again. "Hello?"

"Steve Urkel?"

"This is he," he said nervously.

"Hi, Steve, this is Gary Waterton returning your call."

"Hello, Mr. Waterton. Thanks for calling me back," Steve replied cheerily.

"How was the rest of your honeymoon?"

"Wonderful. Thank you for asking. I am the luckiest man in the world."

"Glad to hear it," Mr. Waterton replied, itching to move the conversation past small talk. "So, have you reconsidered our offer?"

"I've been considering a lot of offers," he said, trying to sound like he was playing the field. He was, to an extent, but none of them were offering what he was looking for. "I was hoping you and I might be able to negotiate something more suitable for me and my wife. I want to give her the best, you understand."

"You're still young, Steve. We can't always ask for the best right away," he warned.

"Maybe not," Steve agreed, "but I'm a bit of a commodity. I know you can offer me something better than you did." Steve felt uncomfortable bragging about himself. Unfortunately, his discomfort and his desperation rang clear in his voice.

Mr. Waterton decided to call Steve's bluff. "I'm sorry, Steve. There's nothing more I can offer you. We've filled the position. I could squeeze you in, but I'd have to offer you ten percent less, in fact."

"Less?"

"Yes, and a longer contract. Oh, probably another two years or so."

"But that would be twelve years!" Steve was beginning to fall apart. Wasn't this supposed to be his time? He had put up with being teased, bullied, and beaten in school. He had always been fine with being the butt of the joke and the pain in the butt, but now was supposed to be different. He was an adult now. His brains were supposed to finally pay off. What had happened to the meek inheriting the earth?

"That's the best I can do for you, Steve," he lied.

"I'm sorry, but that's not good enough," Steve said firmly. "I can't accept that."

Mr. Waterton froze. This kid was stubborn. "C'mon, now, Steve. Think of your wife."

"My wife was very clear with me. She doesn't want me to settle."

"Sure, that's what she says now, but down the line, where will you two be if you can't provide for her?"

Steve's shoulders tensed. This guy had some nerve. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Waterton," he said through his clenched jaw.

"This offer doesn't last forever, Urkel," he reminded him.

"Goodbye," Steve said flatly, slamming the phone down. He sat back on the couch, now actually a couch again for the afternoon, and rested his forehead against his palm. What was he going to do?

After Laura left the administrative office, she realized she had better see her mother. That seemed like a pretty important mother-daughter rule. If you suddenly move out of your mother's house, but stop by her work two days later, you better remember to say a quick hi before you leave. She rode the elevator up to the buyer floor and walked back to her mother's office. Harriette had had the job of Head Buyer for a year and a half already, but it still felt new to Laura. She was so proud of her mother and how she'd risen in rank. Her mother was a testament to what women could do when they needed to. She'd had a number of jobs over the years, and she had worked under a number of obnoxious, white men. Still, she had kept her head up, stood up for herself, did what was right, and worked hard time and time again, and it had finally paid off. Laura couldn't say that she wanted to take her mother's path to success, – most of the reason Harriette had worked so hard was to give Laura a leg up – but Laura was glad to know that if her and Steve's luck never turned around, there was a role model out there to follow. When she reached her mother's office, she knocked lightly before barging in.

Harriette looked up from her desk and let out a deep breath when she saw Laura. She stood silently and took her into her arms. She hugged her tightly. When she let go, she smiled. "It is so good to see you, Honey."

"It's good to see you, too, Mom," Laura smiled back.

They stood, holding hands, for a long moment. "What are you doing here?" Harriette asked eventually.

"I was just downstairs with Mr. Waxman. He gave me a full-time job for the summer, so Steve and I have a little hope," Laura smiled uncomfortably.

Harriette cringed. "Oh, no, Laura… I wish you'd told me that was your plan."

"What do you mean?"

Harriette let go of her hands and sat on the couch in her office. She patted beside her, hoping Laura would join her.

Laura sat and looked at her mother.

"I got Myra a job with Waxman."

Laura's eyes widened, "Oh, no. Mom, you didn't."

Harriette nodded.

"That's what he meant when he said you'd just used a favor," Laura realized.

Harriette shrugged, "I called it a personal favor. He was really hesitant because of the way she treated customers when you two were up for the same job in high school. He said she lied to them a lot?"

Laura nodded.

"So, I really had to press him, but he eventually agreed. Laura, Honey, I would have tried somewhere else if I had known you'd be coming back."

"Mom, _I_ didn't know I'd be coming back. I didn't know that Dad would… I just didn't know. Now, what am I supposed to do? I need this job, Mom!"

"Laura, I don't think it would be good for Myra to have to work with you."

"Can't she just work a late shift?"

"She's only working two weekdays and Saturday, noon to eight. That's as late as they go."

Laura took a deep breath, thinking through her options. Eventually, she shook her head, "No. I have to prioritize my marriage. Steve and I need money. I feel bad about Myra, and I will be perfectly nice to her when we work together, but I can't give up this job." Laura stood, desperately wanting to get out of there.

"Laura, wait–"

"Look, I'll see you later, Mom," Laura said before slamming the door behind her.

She rushed immediately to the bathroom. She stopped in front of the sink and ran cold water. She splashed some on her face, smearing her makeup slightly. She took a paper towel to dry her face and looked into the mirror. She felt her stomach twinge with guilt. After everything they had done to Myra, she was really going to let her needs ruin Myra's recovery? Steve didn't want her to work. Who was this even for?

Laura heard a flush behind her and a stall door open. She ignored it until she heard a tiny voice.

"Oh," Myra said softly.

Laura's heart sank. Oh, that was just what she needed today. Laura turned around to face her. "Hi, Myra."

"Hi, Laura."

"How are you?"

She nodded, "Ok, considering…"

Laura nodded, "My parents got you set up ok? You have your appointments made and everything?"

Myra nodded again, "Yes. My first session was yesterday, actually."

"How did that go?" Laura smiled.

"It was horrible," Myra replied.

"Oh…"

"What are you doing here? Shopping for some trampy lingerie to bring home for my man?" she asked as her usual, contradictory perk returned. Then she froze. "I'm sorry. My therapist says I'm not supposed to do that anymore," she said, her depression swallowing her again.

"Myra, I have to tell you something," Laura blurted out.

Myra looked at her.

"I got a job here. In Women's clothing. I start Monday. Full-time. Eight to five, so we're going to be seeing a lot of each other."

"Oh," she said.

"I swear I didn't know you were working here when I accepted the job. I would quit, but we really need the money, Myra," Laura explained, still feeling that pinch in her stomach.

"'We'?"

Laura looked at her feet.

"Well, that's ok. I knew I'd have to see you again eventually. Now, I'll get it out of the way early. My therapist is going to have a field day with this next week."

"If there's anything I can do to make it easier for you…"

"Get a divorce?" Myra suggested.

Laura closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. "Anything else," Laura answered flatly, heading toward the door.

"Get your tubes tied?" Myra called as Laura walked out. Myra leaned out the door and yelled, "Do a girl a solid and have an affair!"

A customer walking by the bathroom turned to her.

Myra hesitated, unsure of how to explain that. "Uh… Do you need help finding anything, Ma'am?" she smiled just a little too brightly.

When Laura got back to Eddie's, she knew she was bringing home a mixed blessing. She hoped Steve had good news to share. She walked in and found him lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling. That didn't seem like a good news position to her.

"Hey, Steve," she smiled when she walked in.

He looked up at her from his position on the floor. "Hidy-ho, Laura Lee," he said, forcing himself to sound chipper. "How did it go at Ferguson's?"

She sat next him on the floor. She lifted his head gently and set it on her lap. She stroked his short hair. "I start Monday! I'll be working full-time for the summer, and I'll be done in time to start my senior year in the fall."

He smiled at her. "That's wonderful news, my sweet."

"How did everything go here?"

"Not so good."

"I can see that," she smiled down at him, "but what happened?"

"I called everyone who's offered me a job, and I only got five calls back. Those five people were not willing to negotiate, and some of them were just plain rude."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Baby," she cooed.

He sat up and turned to her, "No, I'm sorry, Laura. I hate this. I hate not being able to give you the life you deserve. I'm so sorry."

She grabbed his cheeks and kissed him. "We'll figure it out, Honey. I promise we will."

He nodded, "Ok."

She pecked him gently again and stood. "Why don't we order lunch to celebrate my new job so Eddie has something to eat when he gets up?"

"Ok," he nodded again.

Laura went for the take-out menus while she watched Steve. It broke her heart to see him so discouraged. If there was one thing Steve Urkel had, it was confidence. Well, really it was love. Then brains. Then confidence. She hated watching that Steve fade away before her eyes. Laura decided to save the Myra tidbit for later. There was no point in making him feel worse now.

When Eddie woke up, a few hours later, he went straight to the kitchen. He didn't expect to find anything, so he was thrilled to find a sandwich with his name on it in the fridge. He walked out to the living room. "Hey, guys, thanks for the sandwich. I'm starved!"

"No problem, Eddo," Steve called over his shoulder. He was sitting on the couch with Laura, watching the six o'clock news. His arm was wrapped around her tightly. He was afraid to let go with the luck he'd been having lately.

Eddie took a seat on the chair next to them, happily scarfing down his sandwich. He had plans with Max in a little while, but he had yet to figure out how to sneak out for the night. He finished his dinner… or breakfast and went to get ready. He tried not to look like he was trying too hard both for Max and for the story he was about to tell to get out of the apartment without raising suspicions. He walked out to the living room. "Hey, guys?"

Laura and Steve turned around to look at him.

"I'm going to the bar with a couple of buddies from work. I'm just gonna crash on my partner's couch, ok?"

Laura looked him up and down. That's what he was wearing to hang out with his _buddies_? _Mhmm…_

"Sounds great, Eddo!" Steve chirped. "When are you going to invite me out to meet the fellas?"

Eddie cringed. That was not something he ever wanted to do. He loved Steve. He was a great friend, and he was making a decent brother-in-law so far, but he wasn't the type of guy you wanted to show off. "We'll see, Steve."

Steve shrugged and turned back around.

Laura continued to stare suspiciously as he walked out the door. When it had completely closed, she turned back to Steve. "He's going to meet up with Mystery Girl."

Steve crinkled his nose. "I thought Mystery Girl was Greta?"

"Pshhh… Boy, please. You bought that?"

"Uh… Yes?"

Laura scoffed. "He's hiding Mystery Girl for a reason. He must really like her."

"Why would he hide her if he liked her?"

"You don't understand men at all, do you, Steve?" Laura asked, shaking her head.

His mouth twisted. " _Hey_ ," he scolded.

"Not every guy is quite as… open about their feelings as you are, Honey. If Eddie really likes a girl, he might hide her for a while to see if it's really going to work," Laura explained gently.

"And you're fine with that?" Steve certainly wasn't. He hated the idea that his best friend in the world – well, his best friend to whom he wasn't married – would keep him out of the loop like that. If Steve had had someone new in his life, he surely would have let Eddie know. Well, that example only made sense before he was married. He realized that if he started an affair tomorrow, he probably wouldn't run to his brother-in-law and tell him all about it, but that would never happen anyway. Still, he was hurt that Eddie wouldn't confide in him. Maybe he didn't understand men.

"Well, it's not really up to me," Laura said. "I'm a little upset about Greta, because less than two weeks ago, she was my bridesmaid, and now… _What_? But as far as Mystery Girl goes, if Eddie's already movin' on, she's probably pretty cool." Laura wasn't bothered by the fact that Eddie was hiding this new girl. She was used to that, though she was glad Steve wasn't as cagey as most of the men she knew. She certainly wouldn't feel comfortable being hidden from his friends and family. In fact, a part of her felt for Mystery Girl. Those early stages of a relationship could be fun, but getting a guy to define the terms of a relationship was often difficult. With Eddie on the rebound, she imagined it would be even worse. More than that, however, she was still upset about Greta. She didn't know whether to call her or wait for a call. She didn't know where this left their friendship or what she even wanted their friendship to be after this.

Steve squeezed her shoulder. "I'm sorry about Greta."

"Me too," she sighed. "I'm sorry about your job offers."

"Me too."

She nuzzled her face into his neck. "Well, maybe there's something I can do to cheer you up."

He giggled, "Maybe there is."  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Laura kissed his neck gently and moved her hand to his chest. She played with his buttons as she sucked on his neck.

"Ohhhh, Laura Lee," he purred softly, gently rubbing her back.

Her hand slowly trailed its way down his body. She placed it firmly on his groin, gripping his manhood through his pants.

"OOO!" he jumped.

She lifted her head and smiled, holding her hand in place. "Do you like this?"

"I love it, Sweetums," he croaked. Her hand began to gently stroke his quickly hardening erection. His breathing got heavier, and he stared at his lap, watching her dainty hand, her ring hand, play with his most intimate area. He pouted when he felt her move away, but then he saw where she was going. He looked down at her, on her knees, in front of the couch, and he stared longingly. He wanted nothing more than to feel what she was about to do for him, but he couldn't live with himself if he thought for a moment he had pressured her into it. "You don't have to," he whispered.

She shook her head, placing her hands on his belt, slowly unbuckling him. "I know that," she replied. She opened his belt and unbuttoned his pants. She slowly lowered his zipper. "You don't have to keep reminding me."

"I just want to be clear. I don't want you to feel obligated just because I…" he trailed off as she pulled his member from his pants. He watched her hand wrap around it. This time, her ring hand rested high on his thigh while her right hand began to slowly work his sensitive skin. "Ooooo…"

She smiled at him softly. "Steve, have I ever been the kind of girl who does stuff for guys she doesn't want to do?"

He shook his head vigorously, trying to control his breathing.

"Then why do you worry so much? I want to, Steve. I promise." She leaned closer to his member, and her lips hovered above it as she stroked him. She looked up at him, appearing doe-eyed, suppressing a wicked grin. "Can I?" she asked sweetly, her voice lilting.

He smiled at her. He was completely under her spell. "Of course, my love. Whatever you want," he replied, stroking her hair.

She leaned forward and kissed his head. She grinned when he jumped. "Mmm…" She leaned forward again and licked it gently. His hips bucked toward her hard, but she pulled back. She began to lick up and down his shaft. She looked up to him, never breaking eye contact so long as his remained open. She moaned softly, "Mmmmm…"

His shaking hand continued to stroke her hair. He resisted the urge to hurry her along. He knew he wasn't allowed to hold her head with any force, but over their short time together, he had learned he could run his fingers through her hair, so long as he pulled his hands back before he lost control. He tried to focus on her eyes. He wanted to be as respectful as possible, but occasionally, he would look closer at her hot, wet mouth. He'd watch her pink tongue slip out and run along his member. He'd listen to the quiet sounds of her blowing him. Of course, he'd try to distract himself from the physical sensations. Her hot spit on his skin, her velvety lips tickling him, her agile tongue licking and licking, rubbing against him, her warm hand holding him tight as she petted him. If he let himself focus on those incredible feelings, it would all end too soon. He needed this one to last. He needed her to see him as a man. A real, manly man. He needed her to respect him.

When she felt his hand starting to pull at her hair, she grabbed it and placed it at his side. She shrugged to him apologetically, but he didn't seem to notice as she continued to lick him. She sat up straighter and pointed his member out to her. She looked at the pre-cum coming from his tip. She took his tip into her mouth.

"Oh!"

She circled her tongue around it, tasting his pre-cum.

"OHHHH, LAURAAAA…"

She slipped him in just a little further and swallowed his pre-cum and her pooling spit. Her tensing muscles squeezed him.

"Ummm…"

She slowly began to take more of him in. She bobbed her head up and down his member. Her hand stroked the rest of him.

He wiggled uncontrollably beneath her, squeezing the couch cushions. "Ooooo…"

She tried to take him deeper, wanting desperately to show him she could fit him, but she overshot it. Her novice throat quickly gagged. She pulled away from him, coughing hard. She placed a hand over her mouth, hoping to prevent an icky incident.

His eyes widened in concern. He sat up and leaned down to her. He gripped her shoulders as she coughed, and he rubbed them gently. "What's wrong, Pet? What did I do?"

She shook her head, coughing a few final times. She cleared her throat. " _Ahem_ , it wasn't you, Steve," she said, blushing and looking down at her lap.

He cocked his head. "What then?"

"I just… I tried to take you too deep," she whispered, biting her lip nervously.

"Oh, well, that's ok. You don't have to try so hard, Pet. You're already amazing at this."

"No, I'm not," she smiled softly. "You just don't know any better."

"It's already so much more than I need," he replied.

"Shut up," she laughed. "Steve, you can want things from me, you know? That's ok."

"You've given me so much more than I deserve; how could I ever ask for more?"

She shook her head at him, "You don't have any idea what you deserve." She leaned forward and took him back in her mouth.

He jumped at the surprise. His hands gripped the couch tightly. He watched her head bob up and down on him. Her eyes met his, and he smiled. "Thank you, Lauraaaaaa…" he moaned. "Oh, it feels so goooooood… Thank youuuu…"

She began to move her head faster. Her hand matched the rhythm. She kept her eyes locked on his. She knew he wanted to look her in the eye when he came, and she wanted him to come. She wanted to feel his hot cum in her mouth, and she wanted to taste him, but more than that, her neck was getting very tired. She was amazed at how much longer he was lasting. She didn't want to rush him, but still, it was starting to hurt. She began to suck harder, especially each time her full lips wrapped around his head. "Mmmmm…" she moaned.

He stared at her as she moaned. She sounded so sexy. It felt so good when she moaned for him. It was a turn-on, of course, but the vibrations felt incredible, too. "Ooooo, Laura…" He didn't think he could last much longer. He had to warn her, but not quite yet. It was too soon. "Oh, Pet. I'm getting close," he whispered.

She knew he wasn't too close. He could still form sentences, so she had a ways to go. She moved faster and gripped her hand tighter around his base. Up and down. Up and down.

"Unnnnggg…" he groaned.

 _Closer_. She moved even faster, sucking harder.

"Oh, yes. OH, YES! YES, LAURA!" he yelled. He felt his balls tightening. So close. He was so close. His hips tried again and again to thrust up to her. His hands gripped the couch so tightly that his skin was changing colors. He needed to tell her.

"Mmmm…"

"Yessssss, Lauraaaaaa…" he purred. He tried to tell her. "Laura. Laura. Laura. Laura." He couldn't form the words.

Now, he was getting close. _Just a little more._

"I-I… OH, GOD! I…" he groaned. He stared at her intently. His balls tightened and his stomach clenched. A hot wave ripped through his abdomen. "LAURAAAAAAA..." he groaned.

She pulled back, making room for his cum. He began to fill her mouth. His hot, sticky cum poured out of him in burst after burst.

"Laura Leeeeeeeeee…" he purred as he continued to thrust. "Laura Lee… Laura Lee… Laura Lee…"

He had so much cum. Every time, it seemed, he surprised her. She could never remember how much to expect. She needed to start swallowing. She swallowed once, her lips still wrapped around him.

"OH, YESSSS…" he purred as he shot his last two strands. "Oh, yessss, Lauraaaaaa…" He reached his hand back to her hair, stroking gently as he felt her swallow two more times before she pulled away from him. Her lips slipped from him with a loud, wet pop. She was panting slightly. He couldn't help but notice his cum coating her lips and a tiny drop on her chin. He smiled at her. "Oh, Laura Lee…" he whispered as the sight of her took his breath away for the millionth time in his life.

She smiled brightly, proud to have pleased him. She slowly stood. She slipped his member back in his pants and sat down on his lap, skipping the buttons, zippers, and buckles for the time being. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"Mmmmm…"

She pulled back and looked at him. She saw his cum smeared on his face, and she realized she hadn't managed to swallow it all. She wiped it off of his face first, licking her fingers clean. Then she wiped her own lips and chin. She kissed him again. "Mmmm…"

"Mmmm…"

She pulled back to look at him again. "So, are you cheered up?"

He laughed and snorted. _Snort. Snort. Snort_. "I'm over the moon, Sugar Lips."

"I'm glad," she purred, nibbling his ear lobe.

"Oooo…" His hand grazed her thigh, and the other wrapped around her back. He stroked her thigh softly, slowly trailing his hand up over her stomach and to her breast. He gripped it firmly. "Oh, Laura, my love…"

She stood abruptly, ripping herself from his grip.

He looked up at her in shock. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Steve, but we need to get dinner first."

"First?"

"Before we make love," she explained.

"Oh, but I thought…"

"That was just a bonus, because you had a bad day. The rest we have to save until after dinner or all the good restaurants will close."

He stared up at her, still surprised, unable to move.

She reached for his hand and pulled him to his feet. She finished buttoning, zipping, and buckling him. She tucked in his shirt. He stared at her, still in a daze. She dragged him to the door, grabbing her purse and her keys along the way. "What are you in the mood for?"

He paused in the doorway. "You."

She rolled her eyes. "How about Mexican?" she suggested.

He shrugged and followed her out the door.

When Eddie got to Max's, he followed her instructions, honking three times quickly, followed by one long honk. She almost immediately bolted out the door and hopped into his car, which was waiting three houses down. "Hey," she smiled, grabbing his cheeks and kissing him.

"Hey," he said back. "What was that about?"

"I told you. I didn't want my parents to know I was going out with a guy tonight."

"You're an adult now, Max."

"Yeah, well, my parents aren't like your parents," she said, turning away.

Eddie scoffed, "Well, my parents seem to have lost their minds this week, so maybe that's a good thing."

"Yeah, what did they do? Laura still hasn't told me."

"It was really just my dad," Eddie explained, pulling away from the curb. "He told Laura and Steve that he didn't think their marriage would last."

"What? _No_!"

"Yup."

"Right to their faces?"

"Mhmm…"

" _Ouch_. No wonder they left."

"Yeah. I can't really blame them. I wish they'd leave _my_ apartment, but I would've done the same thing."

"You would've?" Max asked. "If your dad said he didn't think we could make it work, what would you say?"

Eddie wrapped an arm around her. "I'd say, 'Dad, Max has amazing booty, and I'm never letting her go.'"

She giggled and swatted his chest.

"I don't think it's my dad we have to worry about, though," Eddie said. He felt Max tense. "The longer we wait, the worse it'll be."

"I don't wanna talk about this right now, Eddie. Let's just get something to eat so we don't miss the movie."

"Ok," he agreed, "but we'll have to deal with Laura eventually."

"How about Mexican?" she asked, ignoring his statement.

When Laura and Steve pulled up to a little hole in the wall restaurant in downtown Chicago, El Agujero en la Pared, Steve was feeling very self-conscious. "But, Laura," he whispered, "I forgot my sombrero at home. We can't eat here."

"Steve," she said, fighting off her souring mood that resulted from having listened to him complain about his sombrero for the past ten minutes, "you can eat at a Mexican restaurant one time without a costume. We are _not_ driving to my parents' house and dealing with my father for a hat."

"But–"

She shushed him as she approached the hostess. "Hi, table for two?"

Steve leaned over her shoulder. "Sweetums, you're supposed to say 'hola'."

Laura rolled her eyes and smiled apologetically at the hostess.

The hostess pursed her lips, grabbed their menus, and motioned, "Right this way."

Laura and Steve followed her back into the restaurant and sat in the booth she indicated. "Thank you," Laura said, accepting her menu and smiling.

Steve took the other menu and beamed at the hostess, "Gracias!"

Laura's eyes widened in embarrassment again.

The hostess nodded uncomfortably. "I don't actually speak Spanish. I know 'gracias' obviously, but you don't have to…"

Laura shook her head at her. It wasn't worth trying to explain it to him.

"Your server will be right with you," she said quickly, heading away from the table.

"Well," Steve said, "she wasn't much fun, was she?"

Laura looked down at her menu, ignoring the comment.

Steve looked at her and studied her face. "Am I _annoying_ you, Pet?" he asked, more confused than hurt for the time being.

She looked up at him in surprise. She set her menu down. Was he? She went to speak, but she hesitated. She shook her head, trying to shake unpleasant thoughts away. "She didn't speak Spanish, Steve," she breathed eventually.

Steve shrugged. "We've been to lots of restaurants before. I always try out the language. Does it usually bother you?"

"No," Laura realized.

"But today it did?"

"A little," she nodded.

"Why?" he asked, edging into hurt feelings.

She thought for a long moment. "I think I'm just cranky, Steve. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, my sweet, but that worries me. I don't ever want to annoy you."

"Well, that's just unrealistic," she scoffed.

"What?" he cried.

"You're going to annoy me, Steve, and sometimes, I'm going to annoy you. It's inevitable."

"You are never going to annoy me, my pet," he promised.

"Yes, I will," she promised in return.

"Is this what Carl meant? You're going to get sick of my… quirks?" he asked, his eyes growing more hurt.

"No," Laura said firmly, taking his hand. "It's been a bad few days, Steve, and I'm a little tired and frustrated. That's all. I promise."

"Laura, if you want me to stop talking to the staff in–"

"No, Baby, I don't want that at all. I was just being–"

The server approached them. "Hello, how are you two doing tonight?"

Laura looked at Steve, who said nothing. He just stared at her hand holding his. She took a deep breath and smiled up at the waiter. "Très bien?"

Steve giggled, "That's French, mi alma."

Laura cringed, "Well, that's all I took in high school!"

Steve turned to the waiter, squeezing Laura's hand, "Buenas noches, Señor. ¿Podrías traernos dos vasos de agua y una copa de sangría para la linda dama?"

"Puedo ver la identificación de la dama bonita?"

"Sí, sí." He turned to Laura. "Your license?"

"Oh," Laura nodded. She pulled her license from her purse and handed it to the server.

"Gracias." He verified Laura's age and returned her ID. "Por supuesto, Señor," the server replied, walking away.

"Did you order sangria?" Laura asked.

"For you, mi alma," he smiled.

"Are you trying to get me drunk, Steve Urkel?" she teased.

He grinned. "You are quite… _affectionate_ that way."

She blushed. "What does 'mi alma' mean?"

"My soul," he purred.

"Mm. I don't deserve you," she sighed.

"I beg to differ," he whispered, leaning over the table. She leaned forward and kissed him. He took her other hand and slipped his tongue into her mouth. "Mmmm…" he moaned.

When she pulled away, she wiped the lip-gloss from his lips, suddenly very aware that they were in public.

"Am I still annoying you?" he asked, looking suddenly sheepish.

"Of course not, Steve. I was just in a mood. Please, don't take it personally," she said seriously.

"I don't want you to get sick of me."

"I won't," she promised.

"Laura, if you want me to change anything, I…" he trailed off.

"Nothing. Don't change anything, please," she begged.

"Are you–"

"I'm sure. I am _so_ sure," she interrupted.

"Ok," he smiled, as the server set down their drinks.

"Gracias," they said in unison.

"Have you ever been to this place?" Eddie asked, holding the door for Max.

"No," she said, stepping through. "Laura just raved about it, though."

"Mhmm… I took everybody here to celebrate when I first got my apartment."

"Oh, so you've taken Greta here?" Max accused, only half-kidding.

Eddie cringed. "Yeah, but I've taken her everywhere. We dated for four years."

Max ignored him and approached the hostess stand. "Hi, table for two?"

"Sure," the hostess replied, "right this way." She grabbed two menus and led them to a table near the front of the restaurant.

They thanked their hostess and sat across from each other.

Max began to peruse her menu and asked, "So, how's it going living with Laura and Steve?"

"There's more food in the house," Eddie grinned, setting his menu down, prepared to order his usual.

"Really? More than none?" Max joked.

"Yes," he said begrudgingly, "more than none."

"Well, good. I'm glad that's worth sleepin' alone," she teased.

He laughed, "It's definitely not. All they left for me today was a six-inch sub." He took a chip and dipped it in the salsa in front of him.

"You've already eaten?" she asked.

He shrugged, "Yeah, but that was like an hour ago."

Max shook her head and looked at her menu for another minute. "Have you walked in on them having sex, yet?" Max asked, looking up suddenly with a wicked grin.

"Whoa, Max," he groaned. "C'mon…"

"What? They've been going at it like rabbits. It's bound to happen eventually."

"That's my little sister," he warned.

"And that means that she's not having sex with her husband?" she asked, giggling.

"Yes," he answered vehemently.

"You are going to be very surprised when you become an uncle, aren't you?"

"That will only happen through immaculate conception. I guarantee it."

"Are you gonna start a new religion after that one?"

"Mhmm," he agreed, taking another chip.

"You are ridiculous," she laughed, shaking her head.

After they ordered their dinners, Steve remembered why they had gone out tonight, supposedly. They were supposed to be celebrating her new, summer job. He didn't feel much like celebrating it. He was embarrassed she needed to have one, and more embarrassed that he didn't have one at all. He tried to make the best of the situation and keep her feeling good about it. "Are you excited to start back at Ferguson's?" Steve asked.

"I am," she smiled, hoping to relieve some of his guilt. She reached out and squeezed his hand. "I love Mr. Waxman, and it will be really good to see my mother at work. I feel a little bad that we left her so abruptly. She's never been anything but supportive."

Steve nodded. "I feel bad about that, too. Maybe I can meet you two for lunch sometime?"

Laura smiled. "I'm sure she would love that." She paused for a moment. "I know I would love that."

Steve squeezed her hand back. "How about Monday? To celebrate your first day?"

"It's a date," she grinned. "Oh, actually, Mr. Waxman said he would only give me a job if I brought you in to meet him, so that will work out perfectly."

"Good," he smiled weakly.

Then Laura remembered something she had ignored earlier. "Oh, um… Also, Myra's working there. Noon to eight. Two weekdays and Saturdays."

Steve's jaw dropped. "WHAT?"

Laura shrugged, trying to minimize the problem. "It's not a big deal. We only overlap for like half of the day, and I'm not even scheduled for Saturdays."

"But, Laura, that's ten hours of your life every week that she'll be trying to make you miserable."

Laura shook her head. "I don't think so. I bumped into her when I was there today and she seemed… different. I think she's really taking her therapy seriously. We might even be civil in a few weeks."

Steve was hurt that she hadn't mentioned this earlier. "Why didn't you tell me all this when you got home?"

"Because you had had such a bad day," she pouted. "I wanted to bring you good news."

"But, Laura, you have to tell me bad news, too. I'm your husband," he pressed.

"I did tell you," she insisted. "I just waited until I had a drink in my hand," she joked.

He didn't find it very funny. "Are you gonna be ok spending that much time with her?"

"It's not that much time," she replied seriously. "And she's different. It's gonna be fine."

"Laura, I don't want you doing this," he said flatly.

"Steve, we need–"

"No," he interrupted. "I'll figure something out. You don't need this job if it's going to be that difficult."

"It's not your job to 'figure something out'," she reminded him. "I'm a grown-up, Steve. I know what I'm doing. I think we need money, so I'm getting a job. What you do is up to you, but I'm doing this. End of story."

"But–"

"No, Steve. I'm sick of this argument."

"So, I'm not allowed to take a crummy job for us, but you are? I thought we weren't making unilateral decisions," he pointed out.

Laura blushed. He had caught her in her hypocritical tracks. "This is different" she said quickly.

"How?"

"Because mine is only temporary."

"Mine would be, too," he argued.

"Ten years isn't temporary!"

"It is. It's just a long time," he said. He paused. "What choice do we have, Laura? My offers are drying up. People are talking about me less and less. I don't know what else to do."

Laura pursed her lips. "Steve, look. I shouldn't make big decisions without you, but my decision was a very little decision. Yours could change the course of our futures. Please, don't rush into anything."

"Laura, I'm so embarrassed. I thought I was going to get this magical offer that gave me everything we wanted, but it's not coming. Now, the better offers are off the table, and the bad offers are getting worse and worse. I need to take one now before I don't have any left."

She shook her head. "I don't want you to have to do that."

"But I _do_ have to!"

"No, Steve, you don't. I can support us for the summer on my hourly at Ferguson's. It's not a lot, but it's enough. Then when school starts, we can both get part-time jobs, and we can move into the married dorms. Your scholarship would partially cover housing, right? We can get student loans to cover the rest."

"We don't want to start our lives in debt, Sweetums," he said sadly.

"No," she agreed, "but it won't be much, and that's better than starting our lives with you trapped in a miserable job. Besides, you have a perfect GPA. You can get some funding to put you through grad school, right? We can live off of that if we get through this one year."

"Laura, if we're working and going to school all the time, when are we going to see each other?"

"We'll figure it out, Steve," she promised. "Remember when you said that all you could offer me was a tiny apartment full of test tubes and cheese?"

His sad eyes stared at her.

"That's all I want, Steve."

"I want to give you so much more than that," he whispered, his voice breaking.

"I have you. That's all I need. Steve, I don't want to risk losing you to a terrible job. You won't be you if you're miserable."

He nodded. "Ok," he said eventually.

"Ok?"

"Ok. If this is the best we can do for now, it's ok. We'll make it work," he agreed.

She smiled, "Really? It doesn't bother you?"

"No, it bothers me," he clarified, "but I'll deal with it if you think that's what'll make you happy."

"It will, Steve. Don't sign your life away on my account. I couldn't live with myself if you did."

"I'm not going to stop looking for a job, though," he added.

"Good. You shouldn't. I want you to find a job that will make you happy, Honey, and you'll never find one if you stop looking."

He nodded, "And I'm gonna get a terrible hourly job for the summer, just like you."

She giggled, "Ok. Just no contracts, all right?"

"Deal," he agreed. He took both her hands again. He looked down at her ring finger and stroked her diamond rings. "Laura, my love?" he said softly.

"Yes, Steve?"

"Someday, I am going to give you everything you've ever wanted and more."

"I know you will," she whispered. "I know you don't want a lot, Steve, but I'll do the same for you, ok?"

He smiled, "Really?"

She nodded.

"All I want is you and a daughter and a son who look, act, and think just like you do."

"Only two kids? You're low-balling it, aren't you?" she teased.

"You only want two kids, don't you?" he answered.

"What do _you_ want, Steve?" she pressed.

"I want as many kids as you'll have with me, Sweetums. As far as I'm concerned, the more of you there is in the world, the better."

She blushed, "I only want two. Are you really ok with that?"

"The fact that you're willing to have kids with me at all is a blessing, my sweet. Just say the word when you're ready."

"A long, _long_ time from now," she emphasized, "I will be sure to do that."

"As long as it takes, mi vida."

"What did you tell Laura and Steve when you snuck out of the house?" Max asked after they put in their orders.

"I told them I was going to the bar with my work friends."

"Oh, so we only have a few hours then before she gets suspicious."

He shook his head, "No, actually, I said I would be crashing on my partner's couch, so we have the whole night, Baby."

"And where do you plan on sleepin' tonight, Eddie Winslow? You know I can't take you home," Max reminded him.

"So we'll go to the movie. We'll find some place to park after. We'll spend a little time together," he smiled. "Then we can take a nap in the car, and I can drop you off and sneak back to my place bright and early."

She scoffed, "You just have it all planned out, don't you?"

"You think I'm going to go another night without you in my arms, Baby?"

"You are such a flirt," she scolded. Still, she blushed. She knew he was a little cheesy, but it always got to her.

"Another glass of sangria, mi vida?" Steve asked.

"Oh, my God, Steve. You really are trying to get me drunk, aren't you?"

He smiled and wiggled his eyebrows.

"One is plenty. That stuff was stronger than I expected. I already have to go to the ladies' room," Laura said as she stood.

"Hurry back, mi amada," he called over his shoulder as he watched her walk away. His eyes couldn't help but land on her butt. Having gotten over their little hurdles of the day, his mind began to wander back to all of the things he hadn't been allowed to finish with her before dinner. He couldn't wait to get her home. He still needed a little cheering up.

Laura glanced back at him and caught him staring. She deliberately slowed down her walk. She felt a little bad about how she had reacted to his dining quirks earlier and about keeping the Myra-thing quiet for as long as she had. She made a mental note to encourage lots of Spanish pet names when they made love later. He certainly seemed to know enough of them. She glanced back at him again, completely oblivious to the table in front of her. She walked right into the back of a chair. "Oh!" she said in surprise. She glanced down at the woman she had bumped into. "I'm so sorry," she began before her brain caught up to her eyes. "Max?" she asked.

Max was speechless. What were the chances of this? She had been caught red-handed. Eddie had been right all along. They should have told her from the start. It was going to be so much worse now. She looked down at her lap trying to find the words.

Laura smiled, amused by the coincidence. "Hey, Girl, what are you doing here?" she asked as she glanced to the seat across from her to see who she was with. Her brow furrowed. "Eddie? Why are you here with Max?"

Eddie looked at Max. It was her fault they had taken this deceit so far. He wasn't going to be the first to speak. He stared, but she just continued to look down at her lap.

Suddenly, things began to click for Laura. She cocked her head, and her mouth parted slightly. She began to speak and then hesitated. She tried again. "I don't believe this. What the hell do you two think you're doing? Is this a date?" she demanded.

Eddie looked away, too.

Laura stared, not getting a response. "Oh, my God, just…" she scoffed, and she walked back to her own table.


End file.
